ROSIE: I'm going to show you how to make our signature dish, the pandan coconut donut.

This is fresh pandan leaves.

It is grown prevalently in Southeast Asia.

We don't have vanilla, so a lot of times dessert in Southeast Asia, it's green, and it's flavored with pandan.

Usually hand in hand with coconut, they just make the perfect pairing.

SETH: Okay, that sounds really good.

So chef, how do you get started on this donut here?

ROSIE: So we're going to get started on our pandan leaves.

We're going to cut it up, we're going to blend it with some milk.

I'm trying to stay true to real ingredients.

I didn't grow up in Southeast Asia, but I'm trying to do justice to the cuisine, and to the desserts.

So now we're going to add some milk, and we're going to blend it up until it's nice and fine.

(blender whirring) SETH: After the pandan and milk are blended together, Rosie uses a cheesecloth to extract all the flavor.

Then she gets started on the pastry cream filling.

ROSIE: We're going to pour our pandan milk into our pot.

So we're pouring in the thick and rich coconut milk.

SETH: So is this like a typical pastry cream filling that you're making?

ROSIE: It's a twist on a typical pastry cream.

Usually it's made with milk.

But pandan and coconut milk goes so magically together.

SETH: So it's like PB&J, a happy marriage.

ROSIE: Exactly.

Yes.

So now, we're going to bump up the flavor by adding some pandan extract to give it that signature green color.

SETH: Oh, wow.

And this is an all natural food coloring right here, there is nothing fake or synthetic about this?

ROSIE: That is correct.

We'll get our corn starch mixture.

This is going to have corn starch, sugar, and we're going to add our eggs to this.

I'm going to ask you to help me out by holding this bowl.

SETH: I'm ready to spring into action here.

ROSIE: So now, we're going to pour some of the milk and temper these eggs.

SETH: And by pouring in a little bit at a time, you're going to be really careful not to curdle those eggs, right?

ROSIE: We want this pastry cream to be nice and rich and smooth.

SETH: You are saying lots of words that I like to hear.

ROSIE: Same.

I'm a dessert gal, obviously.

So I'm going to ask you to pour me this bowl into this pot.

SETH: I think I can manage that, chef.

ROSIE: And I'll continue to mix.

It's very important during this stage to just continuously whisk.

Okay, Seth, you can see that it's thickening up at this point.

SETH: Approaching shamrock shake territory.

ROSIE: Exactly.

And I think we're about ready to throw in our butter.

SETH: Ooh, okay.

Dump it all in?

ROSIE: Dump it all in.

SETH: There we go.

ROSIE: Perfect.

Adding the butter is going to add a nice sheen to it, it's nice and shiny.

SETH: Just velvety.

ROSIE: Velvety, exactly.

SETH: From here, Rosie leaves the filling to set in the fridge.

And then it's time to roll out the donuts.

ROSIE: Okay, Seth.

So this is a brioche donut.

Brioche is fortified with eggs, milk, and butter, but that's what makes it so delicious.

SETH: And this is a donut.

ROSIE: Exactly.

It is a treat yourself moment.

So when you're eating a donut, you're not necessarily eating it for health purposes, you're eating it for happiness.

So I am scaling it out.

There are moments where you can be fun and creative, but this part: very precise.

SETH: This is all science back here.

ROSIE: Exactly.

So now that we have it portioned, we're going to roll it so that it's a very smooth and tight ball so that when it's proofed and fried, it stays very fluffy.

And we're going to roll one more.

So it's going to take about two hours for it to proof to about double or triple the size.

And I have some ready to go.

SETH: Ooh.

So we're talkin' nice and fluffy?

ROSIE: Very fluffy.

So now I'm going to drop these into the fryer.

And we have two and a half minutes on one side, and then we flip them once they're nice and golden brown.

We wait for another two and a half minutes.

We take them out, and we let them cool.

So now that the donuts are fried and ready to go, first thing we do is coat it in sugar, because a sweet fluffy donut needs sugar.

And then we have this little cute cup that keeps it upright.

We puncture it.

And then now our pastry cream, a little dollop on top, a little coconut.

SETH: One more marriage of PB&J?

ROSIE: Exactly.

SETH: Coconut and pandan?

ROSIE: You need to see it visually.

Okay Seth, this is our signature pandan coconut donut.

I'm excited for you.

It's going to be a treat.

SETH: All right, chef, probably going to make a mess... ROSIE: Yeah.

SETH: ...when eating it.

ROSIE: It's okay, that's the part of the fun.

SETH: Can't wait to dig in.

ROSIE: Let's do it.

(laughter) Mmm.

So good.

SETH: Wow.

ROSIE: So good.

SETH: Napkins required.

ROSIE: Sugar everywhere.

SETH: That is a dynamite donut.

ROSIE: Thank you.

SETH: The color catches your eye, but the flavor is phenomenal.

ROSIE: Thank you.

SETH: It's not vanilla.

ROSIE: No.

SETH: But I obviously do get some hints of that.

And like any good pastry, it's sweet, but despite all that sugar, it's actually not too sweet.

ROSIE: Thank you so much.

That's the ultimate compliment, so I know I'm doing my job.

SETH: And you know, ube has had its viral moment here in the US.

I feel like pandan, it's due.

ROSIE: It's due.

I think ube is so bright and colorful, and it also has similar flavor profiles, that why not the pandan donut?