Bánh Kẹp Lá Dứa – Vietnamese Pandan Waffle Recipe

Have you ever eaten Vietnamese Pandan Waffle?

Every waffle lover can testify to the delicious waffle aroma that comes from the iron. The pandan-inspired waffle kicks it to the next level (and in the Vietnamese or Southeast Asian direction) by introducing a sweet aroma of pandan, its rich coconutty flavour and a chewy mochi centre and a crisp exterior.

If you can get pandan leaves, fresh or frozen the smell will be heavenly. In addition, the batter can last up to one week in the refrigerator and you can enjoy freshly waffles baked throughout the week!

What are you expecting from these waffles?

Don’t confuse it with my lighter, banh kep la dua (crispy pandan pizzelles), this pandan waffle recipe has a more dense waffle with a chewy middle. This recipe started out as an adaption of my mother’s favorite recipe from a friend (Bac Hoa) and developed through my numerous attempts to create the same crunchy and chewy consistency of Bambu’s pandan waffle.

What exactly is pandan?

Pandan leaf are long wide, narrow, and bright green leaves that have an aromatic and sweet scent. It is available in various Asian supermarkets with frozen leaves, fresh leaves as well as extracts. Learn more regarding the pandan leaf here.

Every time I come across fresh pandan leaves in the grocery store (or anywhere else) I soak up the most I can in order to relish the ambrosial and sweet scent of these leaves. I just am in love!

While I am putting my affection for this leaf’s aromatic aroma aside it’s also among the most loved tastes in Asia because of its versatility. Think of it as a resemblance to the way America utilizes vanilla in numerous desserts.

This sweet and intriguing aroma is a perfect match for mango, coconut and others tropical fruit. I’ve tried pandan in a variety of desserts such as Chè Bắp and pandan sticky rice (xoi la dua). However, pandan isn’t only used for sweets . You can also utilize the leaves to make delicious dishes that wrap rice or meat.

Where can I find pandan waffles?

Pandan waffles are widely available throughout Vietnam and I noticed frequently on our trip. However, the most difficult part is finding the right waffle that has the right balance of extra chewiness inside and crunch on outside , while offering plenty of flavor of coconut and pandan.

I am fortunate to have places like Lee’s and Bambu (the latter being my personal favorite waffle) close by, however I was looking for an easy recipe I could make at home. As a strict quality control enthusiast, I also appreciate that I can create the waffle exactly to my specifications.

Batter troubleshooting

I tried a variety of variations of this recipe, and learned many things about ways to find the perfect combination of a crisp outer layer and a soft and fluffy middle.

For instance, using glutinous rice flour in place of regular rice flour resulted in the batter being very soft and gooey inside, similar to mochi cake. It’s a great thing by itself however, it’s not what I wanted to achieve.

In the absence of tapioca starch, the recipe in any way made it extremely crispy however, it was not as gooey. To achieve this equilibrium I mix a blend of tapioca starch and rice flour ( not glutinous rice flour) and the all-purpose flour of wheat.

An important point about these flours. I’m seeing many people confused by the reference to “all-purpose wheat flour” in the recipe, so I changed the wording. All-purpose flour is the standard white, bleached, bleached flour that you can purchase in almost every supermarket. The flour is not whole wheat or any other specialty product.

I have labeled it as wheat flour in this article to distinguish it from rice flours that are used. I’m concerned that it might cause confusion for some due to the fact that it is actually made of wheat is not mentioned on the packaging of most brands.

Tips to cook waffles

Mix dry ingredient into the batter to ensure that it creates a more smooth batter without mixing too much. Allowing your batter to rest for an hour is essential to create that fluffy texture. realize it’s tempting to skip the resting step but don’t. Trust the procedure!

Utilize authentic padan leaves instead of the pre-made extract. It’s a more fresh taste that you can’t get from the synthetic extract. It’s evident this recipe in my post below, where we extract the flavor from pandan leaves. If you are unable to find freshly cut leaves in the market, you could also purchase synthetic pandan extract on the internet.

Storage & freshness

Save the batterThe benefit to this batter is it can prepare it in advance, because it will last for 1 week inside the refrigerator enclosed with an airtight storage container. This is the case if you keep yourself from eating all of it.

When it’s stored in the fridge the batter will harden somewhat due to the coconut fat however it’s still delicious. Make sure to stir it well before cooking each waffle to ensure that all ingredients are evenly distributed.

Freezing cooked waffles If you’d like to make the batter , and cook waffles on a regular basis during the week, they are delicious. But, if you would like to store them in the freezer before the batter turns bad You can do that as well.

The waffles will keep for a long time in the freezer, in an airtight container. You can toast them or bake them to warm them prior to serving. They’re not as delicious as waffles fresh off the grill and it’s better than having no waffles!

Serve: After baking the waffles with an iron for waffles, allow it sit for 30-60 seconds , as it may get a little crispy so that you don’t get burned. Then , serve the waffle whenever you can for the best texture and taste. If you want a quick hot and cold dessert serving adding a scoop of vanilla-flavored ice cream can be delicious and you can serve them with a variety varieties of Waffle-related toppings. As a dessert drink pairing I prefer serving the pancakes with Vietnamese egg coffee.

If you’re a fan of the crunchy and chewy waffle texture You’ll surely love the Bánh Cam recipe as well. It makes use of similar ingredients and provides a an easy method to make quick bubble rings.