Vietnamese-style coconut and pandan waffles
I grew up on these waffles. I remember sitting on the kitchen bench on many after school afternoons, eagerly waiting for my parents to pour batches of batter onto our Black and Decker Sweet Hearts Waffle Maker. The aromas of coconut and pandan filled the house with a delicious scent.
So recently, while spring cleaning, along with throwing out all of my old size 6 clothes (which I know I will never fit back into), I found this cute appliance and was thrilled to discover that it was still in working condition!
My Mum had lost her recipe but a quick search online led me to Andrea Nguyen's fantastic recipe which I have simplified here.
Makes 3 waffles
Ingredients
1 all-purpose flour
7 tablespoons sugar
1½ teaspoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg, separated
1 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1½ teaspoons pandan (la dua) extract
Method
- Heat the waffle iron and have an electric mixer handy.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cornstarch, salt and baking powder.
- Use the whisk to combine the egg yolk, coconut milk, butter, and pandan extract.
- Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to gently stir. Switch to a folding motion toward the end to incorporate all the flour. If the resulting batter looks lumpy, that's okay. Expect the batter to be thick and avoid over-stirring.
- Use the electric mixer to beat the egg white for about 1 minute until it looks solid white. Use the rubber spatula to gently fold in the egg white.
- Spread a decent amount of batter onto the waffle iron.
- Cook the waffle until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Place waffle on a cooling rack.
These waffles are eaten as a snack by itself. There's no need for maple syrup or condensed milk. And they taste even better when re-toasted (as I like mine very crisp on the outside).
Have a go and I'm sure you'll agree with me that it makes the best air freshener scent ever!
I *LOVE* pandan.. and i *LOVE* waffles... and they are cute little hearts. what more could i ask for?
Yum yum yum these are my absolute favourite! I have to buy them everytime I'm in Cabramatta or Bankstown but they're only good fresh off the waffle iron, so having the recipe to do it at home is awesome! Thanks Jen! P.S. I want your heart shaped waffle maker, so cute :)
What I would give for a heart-shaped waffle maker! Can you imagine the waffles smothered in cream and strawberries, too? Mmmmm...
These look great! I was looking for a waffle maker recently, but oddly enough, all I could find were jaffle makers!?
Beautiful waffles. I've seen pandan flavoured bakes etc before & am nedlessly inrigued. Love the flavours here!
omg- so cute Jenn!
i feel like driving out to cabra rite now to buy one hehe (i always wait for them to make me a new one so its nice and hot and crispy)
oops- that was me ! not Nhuy hehe
i was helpin her with entering in her tart for the comp - and the details stayed the same
These look so cute! I have never heard of pandan though.
Thanks for sharing!
ooh, thank you for that recipe, what a lovely concept! Now I just have to get me a waffle maker!
Yum! These look perfect! I'd love to give them a go, but I don't have a waffle maker, nor have I tried to find pandan extract before
Hi Catty, these waffles are simply perfect aren't they? I think the heart shape makes them twice as yummy!
Hi Steph, the only issue with having the recipe and a waffle iron at home is that i can't stop after 2 waffles...
Hey Belle, I was so glad mine was still in a working condition! I haven't seen many new funky shaped waffle irons around.
Hi Y, hehe, jaffles! That'll bring back from childhood memories :-P
Thanks Deeba! Pandan essence is magnificent. I love pandan chiffon cakes too... mmm!
Thanks Betty -they're so addictive aren't they!
Hi Karine, pandan extract is made from Pandan (Pandanus amaryllifolius) leaves. They can be used from anything ranging from nasi lemak to puddings and cake.
Hi Moya, I'm glad you liked these, they're so easy to make and taste wonderful.
Hey Brenda, pandan extract would be available from any Asian grocer. It can be substituted with vanilla extract :)
I am going to try this on the double!!!! I love Pandan coconut!!!
Oh yeah, these things are ADDICTIVE! You know what else is addictive? Pandan and coconut ice cream! (which I made recently too). Our waffle maker is as old as I am and still works (kind of).