Pandan Waffle

Prowling Cabramatta for snacks. I’d like to try an avocado shake but I suspect winter is not a great time for avocados.

The Husband has never been to Cabramatta before. He’s trailing in my wake as I stride purposefully down arcades looking for snacks I’d like to try. There are crowds of people everywhere; it would be hard to walk side-by-side anyway.

In the corner of my eye a girl opens a waffle iron and pulls out something green. Bingo!

“Yay, pandan waffle!” Scooting over to the store, eager to get it into my hands before it cools in the winter air. The Husband follows. I think he’ll like this, he likes regular waffles more than I do. Then maybe I’ll stop feeling bad for dragging him around tasting random foods.

I hand over $1.50 and have myself a large flower-shaped waffle in a paper bag. It’s really light and lots thinner than a western waffle, crisp rather than pancakey.

The flower has five segments. I take two. The two heart-shaped petals weight nearly nothing. The square grooves have toasted brown, little air bubbles speckling through. Around the outer curves of the heart the batter is still green, overflow cooked stiff. Sniff. Smells like batter.

The Husband is already well into his.

Tastes… like waffle. This is the first pandan-flavoured thing I’ve eaten in my life and I still can’t tell what pandan tastes like. Like vanilla? It’s certainly not strong, whatever it is. The light crispness is pleasing since I still want to fit in lunch after this. It’s a bit like eating a sweet bread. Sugary blandish carbohydrates that vanish with no aftertaste once swallowed. At least it’s not dry. Actually there is a bit of moist softness in parts that are less cooked.

Looking at his progress. Oh, what’s that? “Does yours have coconut in it?” Those little white bits sticking out of one side of the waffle… is it batter or desiccated coconut?”

The Husband looks. “I don’t really taste any coconut. I don’t know.” Returns to eating.

Inspecting mine for any sign of coconut. Nothing. Slow down my eating and… yes, okay, not in every bite but occasionally I feel chewy thin strands between my teeth and a vague coconut flavour.

Still not sure what pandan is supposed to taste like – perhaps there is no actually pandan in the waffles, just food colouring? – but I clearly don’t dislike it!

Rating:

Specifics: Pandan waffle (Bánh kẹp) from a random snack and drink outlet in one of Cabramatta’s arcades