It takes the form of gelatinous blocks that are often colored green by the addition of Pandanus amaryllifolius leaf extract.
Bánh phu thê (literally "husband and wife cake") is a Vietnamese dessert made from rice with mung beans stuffing wrapped in a box made of pandan leaves.
It is not dyed green, as can be done with pandan, but is immature rice kernels roasted over very low heat then pounded in a mortar and pestle until flattened.
It is usually served either with a clear sweet syrup alone, with ginkgo seeds suspended in the syrup, or in a sugar syrup infused with pandan.
The characteristic aroma of pandan is caused by the aroma compound 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, which also gives white bread, jasmine rice and basmati rice (as well as bread flowers Vallaris glabra) their typical smell.
Pandanus | Pandanus amaryllifolius | Pandanus spiralis | Pandanus tectorius | Pandanus utilis | A plate of southern Vietnamese ''bánh đúc'' colored with ''Pandanus amaryllifolius |