Pandan for Sri Lankan curries: buying and using rampe leaves

Look for pandan or rampe leaves

Rampe is the Sinhala name you will encounter for pandan in Sri Lankan recipes. Pandan and curry leaves may appear together: Tharunie’s Sinhala dhal method names both. They are separate aromatics, so buying a bag of one does not complete both lines of a shopping list.

For a curry that calls for a piece of leaf, look for the actual culinary leaf. Wei-Chuan USA lists frozen pandan leaf as a single-ingredient product, so the freezer section of an Asian grocery is a useful place to ask. Call or check the store’s current catalog before making a special trip.

Sources: [1] [2]

Measure a piece, not an unspecified whole leaf

Pandan leaves can be long. The Flavor Bender’s curry methods specify short pieces, and the author explicitly explains that a longer purchased leaf may be cut down. Follow the length in the recipe instead of dropping an entire long leaf into the pot.

In a method using a whole piece to perfume the sauce, keep the piece easy to retrieve and remove it before serving. A recipe that grinds leaves into a spice paste is giving a different instruction. Read the preparation line as well as the ingredient name.

Sources: [3] [6] [4]

Extracts are a separate shopping decision

A green bottle labeled pandan is not automatically a replacement for a leaf. The Flavor Bender distinguishes clear extract from green-colored extract in its prawn-curry discussion, and still says pandan can be omitted. Concentration, added color and sweetening depend on the product.

Our practical default for these savory curries is to buy culinary leaves. Do not improvise a leaf-to-teaspoon conversion for a dessert flavoring. If leaves are unavailable, an omission is easier to control than an unidentified extract that may change the entire sauce.

Sources: [3]

What changes if you leave it out?

You lose part of the aroma, but not every curry depends on pandan for its structure. Hungry Lankan allows it to be omitted in beetroot curry. Keep the onion, spices, liquid and other ingredients as the actual recipe directs; extra curry powder does not recreate pandan.

Before replacing it with another aromatic, read the recipe’s substitution note. A curry that makes pandan optional is the easiest starting point when you cannot find it. Pandan is worth sourcing when you cook these dishes regularly, but need not prevent that first meal.

Sources: [7]

Handle leaves according to their form

Keep purchased frozen leaves frozen and follow their package directions. For fresh culinary leaves, rinse under running water and dry before adding to hot oil. Keep the bag label so you know what you have; this guide concerns a food ingredient sold for cooking, not an invitation to use an unidentified ornamental plant.

Sources: [2] [5] [6]