Etlingera elatior (also known as Torch Ginger, Ginger Flower, Red Ginger Lily, Torch Lily, Wild Ginger, Combrang, Bunga Kantan, Philippine Wax Flower, Xiang Bao Jiaing, Indonesian Tall Ginger, Boca de Dragón, Rose de Porcelaine, Porcelain Rose) is a species of herbaceous perennial plant. Botanical synonyms include Nicolaia elatior, Phaeomeria magnifica, Nicolaia speciosa, Phaeomeria speciosa, Alpinia elatior, Alpinia magnifica!
The showy pink flowers are used in decorative arrangements while the flower buds are an important ingredient in the Nonya dish laksa. In North Sumatra, the flower buds are used for a dish called arsik ikan mas (Andaliman/Szechuan pepper Spiced Carp). It is known in Indonesian as bunga kecombrang or honje, Malay as bunga kantan and Thai as daalaa.
In Thailand it is eaten in a kind of Thai salad preparation. In Karo, it is known as asam cekala (asam meaning 'sour'), and the flower buds, but more importantly the ripe seed pods, which are packed with small black seeds, are an essential ingredient of the Karo version of sayur asam, and are particularly suited to cooking fresh fish.
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What a gorgeous flower! I remember seeing this in Queensland when I visited a ginger farm some years ago.
ReplyDeleteThis exquisite Torch Ginger plant is very exotic looking to my northern North American eyes!
ReplyDeleteBright and pretty!
ReplyDeleteThere's something magical around this blossom!!
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