Buko Pandan Recipe – Buko pandan is one of the refreshing desserts you can try in Filipino cuisine. It is a type of fruit salad that involves coconut and jelly flavored with ‘pandan’. Don’t know what pandan is? Pandan, otherwise known as screwpine leaves, are an aromatic plant with a sweet floral fragrance. You can find this plant often used as flavoring for several Asian desserts. With buko pandan, it is what gives the jelly its bright color and sweet flavoring. This fruit salad is best enjoyed cold and on a hot day. There are different ways you can enjoy this salad and this Buko Pandan recipe is one way you can try it:
Buko Pandan Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 bars green agar-agar (.70 ounce, shredded to very small pieces)
- 3 cups coconut juice
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 drops pandan extract
- 2 cups young coconut (shredded )
- 1 bottle Nata de coco {12 ounces, drained)
- 1 bottle Kaong {12 ounces, drained)
- 1 can table cream (14 ounces)
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces)
Instructions
- Combine agar agar and coconut juice in a pot and let it soak for about 30 minutes.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and cook it by stirring regularly until the agar agar is melted.
- Add sugar to the mixture and stir it in until it is dissolved.
- Continue to cook the mixture for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the agar agar is completely dissolved.
- Add 2 drops of pandan extract and stir it into the mixture until everything is combines.
- Remove the pot from the heat and carefully pour the mixture into a flat dish. Allow the mixture to cool until the gulaman is set and hardened.
- Once the gulaman is set and hardened, cut them into 1/2-inch cubes.
- Add the gulaman, young shredded coconut, nata de coco, kaong, table cream, and condensed milk into a large bowl and mix them together.
- Add about 2 to 3 drops pandan extract and stir to distribute flavor and color to the salad.
- Chill for about 1 to 2 hours then serve the salad when cooled.
What Else to Know About the Buko Pandan Recipe
Buko Pandan is known as one of the top favorite desserts in the Philippines. You can trace this dish to the island province of Bohol and find it served during gatherings and parties. While you can enjoy the dessert with just young coconut and the pandan-flavored jelly, you can also add sago to the mix. Sago is another term for tapioca pearls and the small variation works best for this dish. If you add this ingredient to the dish and store it too long in the fridge though, it will turn hard. Aside from sago, you can top the salad with toasted pinipig, otherwise known as pounded young rice for extra texture.
If you want to enjoy a similar refreshing dessert, you can check out another popular dessert known as halo-halo. You can also try your hand at making other Filipino desserts with our “Cassava Cake Recipe” and “Pichi Pichi Cassava Recipe.” Other options include our “Ginataang Mais Recipe” and “Ginataang Munggo Recipe.” For more desserts featuring coconut, pandan, or both, check out “Buko Pandan Cake,” “Buko Salad” or “Bukayo.”