Pandan Juice

Pandan Juice is a wonderfully refreshing drink on a hot day. Its sweet, yet mild flavor goes down easily to cool you down quickly.

There are so many cool and refreshing drink choices in Thailand. Whether because of the perennially hot weather or the spicy food, you don't have to wander far to find a wide array of refreshing drink options. From the sweet and creamy Thai Iced Tea and Pink Milk to the cool, clear Chrysanthemum tea and Hibiscus drink, there's a delicious way to quench your thirst at every street corner.

One of these refreshing drink choices is Pandan Juice, known as Nam Bai Tuey (น้ำใบเตย) in Thai. Pandan Juice is made by combining fresh pandan extract with a simple syrup that's also been infused with pandan flavor. The resulting drink is mild and sweet. It tastes a bit like wheatgrass juice, but sweeter and with a more fragrant, floral flavor. When served over crushed ice, Pandan Juice is one of the most inviting, relaxing, and refreshing drinks you'll taste.

What is Pandan?

Pandan is the common name for Pandanus amaryllifolius, a plant with long slender green leaves that grow in a fan-shaped group. It is native to Southeast Asia and thrives in tropical climates. Pandan leaves are used in Thai cuisine to enhance the flavor of various dishes. It has a pleasantly inviting flavor that's best described as vegetal, floral, and nutty. For more information, see this article all about Pandan Leaves.

Pandan leaves can be knotted and added to dishes while they cook, wrapped around a food, or blended with water to form an extract. This Pandan Juice drink relies on two of these methods to draw out as much pandan flavor as possible.

Ingredients

• Pandan Leaves: This pandan drink uses fresh or frozen pandan leaves for its main flavor. Fresh pandan leaves can sometimes be found at markets that cater to the Southeast Asian population. They're also available online. Frozen pandan leaves are more readily available, and can usually be found at pan-Asian markets. The leaves are blended with water to make an extract, as well as cooked with water and sugar to make a pandan-infused simple syrup.
• Water: Filtered water tastes best in this mild-flavored drink.
• Sugar: White granulated sugar is used to sweeten this refreshing drink. Other sweeteners such as palm sugar, brown sugar, or honey could be used if you like, although they will alter the flavor and color of the drink.

How to Make Pandan Juice

This pandan drink is made by combining a fresh pandan extract with a pandan-infused simple syrup. Once mixed together, it forms a refreshing drink that's best served over crushed ice.

Step 1: Wash the pandan leaves. Cut half of them into 1 inch pieces with kitchen scissors. Combine the cut leaves with water in a 1:1 ratio and blend until the leaves are broken down.

Step 2: Pour the blended leaves through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth, pressing it until you have extracted all of the juice. There should not be any leaf particles remaining. Set aside.

Step 3: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine water, sugar, and the remaining pandan leaves. Allow to simmer for approximately 10 minutes so the water is flavored with pandan. Remove the leaves and allow to cool to room temp.

Step 4: Mix the pandan extract with the pandan-infused simple syrup. Cool in the refrigerator. When ready to drink, pour over a glass of crushed ice. Garnish with fresh pandan leaves, if you like.

Substitutions

This Pandan Juice relies on fresh or frozen pandan leaves for its flavor and color. Pre-made pandan extracts are available at Asian markets and online, but in my experience, they have a very artificial taste, so would not be a good substitute in this drink. Dried pandan leaves are also available online, but unfortunately, they loose much of their aroma and flavor when dried. If you're not able to find fresh or frozen pandan leaves, you should consider making a different Thai drink.

Pandan Juice FAQs