A pretty ornamental Ginger flowerBunga Kantan (Torch Ginger Flower) belongs to the ginger family. The buds are added to enhance flavour when cooking favourite local dishes like Penang Laksa, Rojak or Asam Pedas. It's fragrant and has a spicy flavour. Its flowers, too pretty to be eaten, are used in flower arrangements.
Bunga KantanBunga Kantan is easy to grow and they are not easily found in the wet markets or supermarkets these days. You can grow them from a cut shoot or seeds. The plant is capable of growing several metres in height.
another ornamental ginger flower
Beautiful flower and useful! I love it!
ReplyDeleteI love the ginger flower...nice tight shots of all the flowers...and great red colours!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful - I love edible beauty!
ReplyDeleteA little too pretty to makan!! :P
ReplyDeletep/s: Amk has got some flats painted dark brown with light blue...*faint*
i've seen this flower in my grandmother's garden when i was kid. i didn't know it enhances food flavor.:D
ReplyDeleteNice flower, but didn't know it could enhance flavour...xD
ReplyDeleteIt's a beautiful flower!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous flower. Thanks for sharing the info.
ReplyDeleteRuby Post
What a beautiful flower!its name says it all too.I had no idea it its linked to Laksa and Rojak.Thanks for bringing it to notice.Sadly I never noticed this beauty before.I'd like a few tall ones on my hallway commode please!
ReplyDeleteI have never been to Fort Canning Hill - will check it out when tyhe temperature is somewhat bearable.
ReplyDeleteIt's so hot hot hot now eh?!
I love to eat bunga kantan. And love the smell too. It is quite interesting to see florists incorpororating this bunga kantan in their flower arrangements - as they did at our ofiice's lobby.
ReplyDeleteWhat a unique flower! You know 'bunga' in Tagalog (Filipino) means fruit...how interesting!
ReplyDeletehi ecl! this is such a flavorful pretty flower! i love putting in some bunga kantan in my asam dish. yumm!!! :)
ReplyDeletehere in malaysia, we can get it easily from wet market. ;)
I've never seen this before. So amazing & useful :)
ReplyDeleteWhat an absolutely gorgeous flower!
ReplyDeleteWhat a pretty flower. I love your blog layout and the nice background color. Take care :)
ReplyDeleteOi!!!
ReplyDeleteAny chance you know where I can buy them? I want to grow in Croatia leh!
CHOP!
ReplyDeleteOh I know bunga kantan ECL,and yes it goes well with Laksa esp!
ReplyDeleteDropping ec here today sweetie, enjoy your Tuesday! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's beautiful, and I bet it smells divine! I love the smell of ginger, galangal, all of them :).
ReplyDeleteI used in my asam pedas sometimes , love it's smell. I've seen it being sold in the NTUC sometimes.
ReplyDeleteP.S. (sneaking this on my lunch break before the gila colleagues arrive)
ReplyDeleteAilurophile said something I wanted to say too but kept forgetting.I like your page's background colour and mix too.Its warm,reposing and chic.Cheers!
beautiful and useful flower.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, i think the flower is also too beautiful to be eaten :)
ReplyDeleteIwonder how that smells -- minty too?
A spice garden sounds wonderful! Wish I could visit. Beautiful shots of the flowers!
ReplyDeletei love the lovely fragrance. Some typical Nyonya cuisine such as otak-otak, assam gulai, use bunga kantan too.
ReplyDeleteit's easily available in wet markets here.
ReplyDeletejean,
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised you didn't taste it in our rojak and laksa dishes. It gives a lovley fragrance and enhances the favour of the dishes. yum yum...
I'm looking for the seeds. I will send you some if I get hold of them. I'll email you if you could give me your contact. I'm also on FaceBook.
Jade,
ReplyDeleteI'm organising a trip for Mensa members and bloggers. I'll inform you on the date.
lina,
ReplyDeleteThe Bunga kantan tastes so unique. I love it in my Penang Laksa and rojak.
They make lovely flower arrangement. I love using them when having foreign guests to my house.
kitchenmaus,
ReplyDeleteI realise some Tagalog and Malay language have the same meaning.
anak - child
sayang - pity
But this bunga is different in meaning. :)
Jean Chia,
ReplyDeleteBunga Kantan goes well in assam soup. It's not so easy to buy bunga kantan in Singapore. have to go to the Malay markets.
sheR,
ReplyDeleteI'm looking for the seeds. Will send you some when I find them.
Jama,
ReplyDeleteI have seen them in one or two NTUC and Giant supermarkets but they are rarely available. There's a higher chance to find them in Geylang Serai market.
awwww jean,
ReplyDeleteThanks for complimenting my blog template. It was done by a blogger friend LadyJava.
You don't go out for lunch with your colleagues?
Arlene,
ReplyDeleteIt has a pleasant smell, slightly spicy.
dot,
ReplyDeleteThe Spice Garden is over 2 hectare with almost every specie of Asian spices, some I've never seen before. It's a wonderful learning tour.
Life ramblings,
ReplyDeleteI didn't know other dishes that uses this bunga kantan besides the usual 3. I would have to find out more.
I have a hard time looking for them, so I'm going to try growing my own. :)
I think I have never seen such a flower !
ReplyDeleteGorgeous, I had no idea a ginger bloom could be so lovely
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Flowers.
ReplyDeletehere
ECL thanks for the offer of sending the seeds but funnily enough I sent a msg to my cousin in S'pore after reading about Bunga Kantan and she will see to it for me as she's a gardening fana.Thanks anyway my dear.
ReplyDeleteNo I didn't go out for lunch with my fellow associates today as I had a heavy workload to see to.A sandwich was enough for me anyway.Cheers!
wow the Ginger flower looks amazing; nice shot ECL! ;-)
ReplyDeleteVery unique! Pretty color too. I like how your post is both for pleasure and knowledge.
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful! Only to be seen indoors in Norway you know :-)
ReplyDeleteThese are great. The shape of this flower is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteThink i saw this at Botanic Gardens as well. ;p
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I've seen a ginger flower. Can't believe that it's so pretty :)
ReplyDeleteHappy WW!
These are beautiful ornamental ginger flowers - I've never seen them before. You taught me something!
ReplyDeletePerfect photos for Ruby Tuesday ~
Beautiful flower, very exotic and a great Ruby Tuesday! And I suppose summer all year round would get a bit boring. :)
ReplyDeleteGorgeous!
ReplyDeleteWe get to see them here. Beautiful when they are in full bloom.
ReplyDeleteThose look totally cool:) Happy WW.
ReplyDeletethhanks,
ReplyDeleteI've always wondered how a Ginger flower looked. It's really pretty.
Incredibly beautiful flower!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful flower! Is this the plant whose root is used in cooking or pickled?
ReplyDeletehahaha.. ECL, i didn't know there are two jean here. I was looking for your reply, then i was perplexed when i read the reply u left for the other 'jean'. It took me a good 10 seconds to realized that there may be another jean. lol! :)
ReplyDeletewow, i didn't know bunga kantan is a rare item in spore. Must really appreciate this beautiful flower then! :)
ReplyDeletebtw woman, you've just been awarded because your blog is simply Over The Top! Yay!! Come pick up your award at my place, k! :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about this wonderful flower, it is beautiful!!!!
ReplyDeletesuch a range of lovely flowers
ReplyDelete@ ECL - Yes I would love to be part of that trip.
ReplyDeleteYeah, this is one of the important ingredients in Penang Assam Laksa. talking about PAL, i haven;t have it for quite a while already, and i still remember the scene of u eating PAL on the bed inside G Hotel. Time really flies, huh? :D
ReplyDeletethis flower is in my favorite laksa? thanks for sharing this cool information! i had never realize it. :D
ReplyDeletegracefully captured. that flower deserves this post. that's a very rare flower, i believe.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post I'm into learning about edible plants and that flower is really beautiful.I've been to Singapore a long time ago and remember it as being beautiful and quite clean.Actually I think it's the cleanest place I've ever been.
ReplyDelete