Coconut Pandan Waffles

Difficulty: Easy

Growing up, I never had pandan anything.  I was very unfamiliar with pandan and actually thought it was a vanilla leaf.  I tried pandan waffles for the first time in Houston at the grand opening of Lee's Sandwich on Bellaire.  They pour a thin batter on a waffle iron, which produce this thin crispy waffle.  It's texture was very similar to the waffle cones.

If you have access to fresh pandan, use it instead of the paste that is readily available in stores. Just cut up the leaves, blend with some water, pour through sieve, and filter the juice with a coffee filter.  What's left in the coffee filter is the paste.

I came up with this recipe by using different Belgium waffle recipes that I googled online.  I replaced milk with coconut milk and replaced vanilla with pandan.

For the pandan coconut waffles:
2 egg
1 1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tsp pandan paste
1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp wheat or corn starch
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tsp salt

Beat eggs until fluffy. Add sugar and coconut milk. Combine well. Add the pandan paste. Set aside.
Combine flour, starch, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet in two portions. Mix well each time to make sure that there is no lumps. Add the coconut flakes. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes.

Heat up your waffle iron. Please refer to your individual owners manuals on how to use it.