This original recipe Pandan Cream Pie combines a fragrant pandan custard with whipped cream in a Graham cracker or McVitie’s Digestive crust. A must-try!
When I was growing up in Malaysia, pies were not part of the local food culture. They were rarely, if ever made at home. Western style bakeries offered individual savory pies, also known as pot pies here in the United States. The crust is usually made of puff pastry with a filling of minced beef or chicken and mixed vegetables. Spicy and curry fillings were also very popular. I did not remember ever tasting a dessert pie.
Watching re-runs of old silent movies, one should be forgiven for forming the notion that the only reasonable use for a cream pie was to land it on someone else’s face. When I moved here to the Midwest, I was amused to find out that the notion wasn’t too far from the truth. Cream pies do land on peoples’ faces! 😀
Seriously though, after the many years of living here I have come to appreciate and love dessert pies. Trust me, they are certainly better served at the table than on the face. Apple Pie holds a special place in my heart as it was the first dessert pie I ever made. Pear Pie and Triple Berry Pie are also favorites. When it comes to cream pie though, this Pandan Cream Pie takes the prize. French silk pie and key lime pie are a close second and third.
This Pandan Cream Pie was originally posted in 2010 when Roti n Rice was a new kid on the blog. I am very proud to have created this recipe as a guest post for a friend who loves pandan flavor. Unfortunately, she no longer blogs. Since then, I have made this pie many times, the most recent being for Thanksgiving in November.
This Pandan Cream Pie is a fusion of a kuih talam, a Southeast Asian dessert and the American key lime pie. The star ingredient is pandan or screwpine, a tropical plant with long, narrow, blade like, very aromatic leaves. Its amazing fragrance is a mix of vanilla and tea rose which permeates the house when cooked. I used crushed McVitie’s Digestive Biscuit this time for the crust. It is very similar in taste and texture to the Graham Cracker Crumbs crust we are so used to here. I have given the Graham Cracker Crumb crust equivalent in the recipe notes.
It is important that you prepare fresh pandan juice for this recipe because the fragrance is beyond compare. Your kitchen will smell amazing when the pie is baking in the oven. I promise it is well worth the effort.
INGREDIENTS
Pandan Juice
- 8 to 10 pandan leaves
- ½ cup water (120ml)
McVitie's Digestive Biscuit Crust
- 9 pieces McVitie's Digestive Biscuit ** (5 oz/140g)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter (melted) (70g)
Pandan Custard
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp butter (28g)
- 2 tbsp rice flour
- 1 cup condensed milk (240ml)
- 1 cup coconut milk (240ml)
- ½ cup pandan juice (120ml)
- 4 drops green food coloring
Topping
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream (480ml)
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Pandan Juice
- Wash and trim the whitish ends off the pandan leaves. Cut the leaves with kitchen scissors cross wise into thin strips. Put into blender with ½ cup (120ml) water and blend well. Pandan leaves are very fibrous and you will have to blend for a while to get a nice green color in the water. Remove and strain. Squeeze pulp to extract all the juice. You should get ½ cup (120ml) pandan juice.
McVitie’s Digestive Biscuit Crust
- Place digestive biscuits in a large bowl. Crush biscuits into a fine crumb with a potato masher. Stir together crushed biscuits, sugar and butter until well combined.
- Press mixture evenly onto the bottom and sides of 8 inch (20-cm) pie plate to form a thin crust. Bake in a 350°F (180°C) oven for 10 minutes.
- In the mean time, work on the custard. When crust is ready, remove and cool on a rack. Leave oven on.
Pandan Custard
- In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks lightly. Set aside. (Please use 4 egg yolks as per ingredients list above.)
- Heat butter in a pan and cook flour.
- Pour in condensed milk, coconut milk, pandan juice, and green food coloring stirring over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat.
- Stir in egg yolks until well combined.
- Pour warm filling into baked pie crust. It should fill up to about halfway the depth of pie crust. Bake in a 350°F (180°C) oven for 15 minutes. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
- Cover with foil and chill for at least 4 hours in the fridge.
Topping
- Chill bowl and whisk attachment in the fridge for two hours. Pour cold cream and sugar into chilled bowl. Beat until it holds stiff peaks. Spread whipped cream over filling.
- Slice and serve immediately.
NOTES
NUTRITION
I hope you will give this Pandan Cream Pie a try. We absolutely love it and I know you will too.
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎
I tried different western pie but haven’t seen a pandan one so far, would like to adapt your recipe one day! Thanks for sharing!
Give it a try and let me know how it turned out for you. 🙂
Just love this! The colors and the soft pie makes me drool!!! 🙂
Thank you! Pandan is just the best, isn’t it? 🙂
THat looks so yummy! I love kuih talam too:D
Thanks Jeannie! I miss kih talam. Haven’t tried making it here yet. Will have to do so one of these days. 🙂
Yummy n v irresistible …
Thanks Subhie! 🙂
Oh Biren- it is just beautiful. The nice green color with the that amazing crust! I am drooling. What a perfect dessert for Christmas
Thanks Jessica! I love the color too. I hope you get to try pandan one of these days. ♥
That looks amazing! Wonder if I can find Pandan leaves in where I live…is it possible to use the extract for this recipe?
Panda leaves here are usually found in the frozen section of the Asian market. I am not sure about Canada but I would imagine it would be the same as pandan is a tropical plant. I have not tried with pandan extract although using pandan paste is a possibility as the fragrance is closer to the real thing than pandan extract. The color and taste will likely be different.
Thanks for the tip…now the search to find the frozen pandan leaves… 🙂
I love pandan leaves and only use them in curry and savory dishes. It was not until recently that I saw it used in so many sweet dishes. I am fascinated to try this pie. 🙂
I hope you will give this recipe a try. Pandan leaves are frequently used in desserts in Southeast Asia.
definitely on my To Try list! I love kuih Talam but has yet to try it in pie form.
I think you will enjoy this if you love kuih talam. I love kuih talam too! 🙂
Interesting that you had never had a dessert pie until you came to the US. As you know now, we’re more about dessert pies here than savory pies. 🙂 What an amazing cream pie! I love the color and it looks SO creamy and delicious! Need to keep an eye out for pandan leaves. I love the way you described their flavor. Sounds wonderful!
Pandan leaves can be found in the frozen section of Asian grocery stores. They really are worth the search as the fragrance is truly wonderful. 🙂
my favourite pandan, looks really inviting!
It looks beautiful and I bet it’s delicious!
Great colors! I’ve not used pandan before – I’ll have to go looking for it (although I’m pretty sure I know which stores would stock it). Key lime pie is probably my favorite dessert pie. Anyway, good post – thanks.
I have never had a pandan cream pie! Really need to get some pandan to try.
I find it interesting how you extract pandan essesnce, which I guess is a good tip. Filipinos do it differently and does it by boiling and reduction. I guess this technique is more cost effective
We also do the boiling and reduction method for just the fragrance if the color is not needed.
Oh, I remember this lovely pie very well! It was your guest post on my first blog LOL It still makes my mouth water, second time around. I really must try this soon, as I know hubby will be over the moon for it!
I do hope you will give it a try. I think you will enjoy it. 🙂
Biren Biren Biren!!! What a pie 🙂
You have indeed inspired me with your recipe, as I absolutely love love love it. I use pandan, (in the paste form) often in cakes and jellies. I can’t get the pandan leaves here, but the paste works perfect, also the taste & aroma is nearly 100% there.
I never made a pandan pie before, and now I will. I’m going to swap the cream for a something else (I’ll surprise you!) and then you can tell me what you think.
Thanks for sharing this Biren.
mary
Aww…thanks Mary! You have made my day! I can’t wait to see what you are swapping out the cream for although I really do like the cream on the top as it makes it so rich and decadent. 🙂