The market · Herbs and aromatics · Southeast Asia
Torch ginger flowers
The bright pink bud of a ginger plant, sliced into assam laksa and nasi kerabu for a sour, floral, resinous lift nothing else gives.
floral · sour · resinous
What to do with it
MalaysianAssam laksaThick rice noodles in a sour, spicy broth of flaked mackerel and tamarind, heaped with pineapple, cucumber, onion, mint and torch ginger flower, with sweet prawn paste on top.No one here has made it yetMalaysianNasi kerabuRice dyed blue with butterfly pea flowers, eaten with finely shredded herbs, kerisik, fish or chicken, budu and sambal.No one here has made it yet
If you can't find it
Rarely sold outside Southeast Asia; sometimes frozen as bunga kantan.
No real swap
No swap for the perfume. A little ginger and lime zest gives some of the brightness — call it a different dish.
Goes with
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- Fresh or frozen buds at Malaysian and Thai grocers. Without it, a little lemongrass and lime leaf gets you part of the way.
- Worth knowing
- Slice it very finely just before serving, from the base up — the tougher outer petals can come off.
