Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a staple food for about half of the population in the world. Aroma is one of the most important rice sensory quality characteristics. The chemical compound that contributes mostly to the aroma profile of aromatic rice (e.g. basmati rice) is 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2-AP). This highly volatile compound has been found to occur naturally in Pandan leaves. Adding fresh Pandan leaves to enhance the flavour profile of non-aromatic rice is as an old practice in South-East Asia. However, there has been little work done on how 2-AP is extracted from Pandan leaves and the phenomena taking place during cooking. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of absorption of 2-AP from non-aromatic rice mixed with Pandan leaves during cooking. Non-aromatic rice was cooked with fresh Pandan leaves using optimal and excess water conditions. The amount of 2-AP in rice grain was found to decrease at 10min (optimal water) and 5min (excess water) of cooking. A possible explanation of this phenomena could be linked to starch gelatinization and the effect it has on interaction with 2-AP from the rice grains.