Bunga Kantan is the soul of many Nyonya dishes—Assam Laksa, Nyonya fish stew and curry dishes such as perut ikan and gulai tumis. Bunga kantan is another Nyonya ingredient that I can’t find here in the United States.
Bunga kantan, or in English, ginger flower or torch ginger bud is the bud of red ginger plant. (There are a few types of ginger: yellow, blue, and red.) Pinkish in color, they look very pretty and smell great, and they are usually halved lengthwise and used in curries and stews. When cooked, bungan kantan imparts an impossibly floral fragrance and exotic aroma into the dishes. For Assam Laksa, the bud is sliced finely as part of the toppings that complements the sour fish broth and laksa noodles…
Bunga kantan is also widely used in Malay cuisine; in fact, a lot of Nyonya dishes are variations and adaptations of local Malay dishes, due to the inter-marriages between the early Chinese immigrants and the local Malays.
If you have ever seen this in the US, please let me know. I am very keen to source this ingredient.
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Similar looking ginger plants grow in South Florida as ornamentals (I know because we have a bunch in my mom’s backyard there). As I understand it the ginger family is really large, though, so I’m not sure that this plant is what you are looking for. And I’ve never seen it in a supermarket there.
The closest resemblance to what we have growing is this: http://www.hccrs.net/Holy%20Spirit%20Prayers_files/image003.jpg
B – I know that plant, I see it in Malaysia, too but it’s not bunga kantan.
I found some dried ones up here in Canada, but when we soaked them in water they were still kind of hard in places. Not sure if I should be soaking them for longer or using hot water….
I know the dried ones but it defeats the whole idea of fresh aroma and fragrance when they are dried. :(
The only time I saw the bunga kantan was in NY Chinatown and it came frozen.
I can accept frozen bunga kantan, just like frozen banana leaves, but I can’t find even the frozen ones here. :(
I have been looking for the bunga kantan in Sydney too but still no luck. I do miss being in Asia with easy reach to all these wonderful ingredients!
Ellie – yes, I think only Malaysians use bunga kantan to cook. I have never seen it in Vietanmese or Thai cuisine. Not sure about Indonesian though.
In Melbourne we can get it in Chinese grocery shops (especially those run by Malaysians) in the freezer. I’m surprised it cannot be found in Sydney.
K Wong – You mentioned that you managed to buy the bunga kantan in Melbourne. Mind sharing with us where this particular shop is?
I live close to the Melbourne city but have not had luck finding it
i love the fragrant of bunga kantan, i’ve used it in pomelo salads. it does give the salad a kick!
Yes, it’s great for salad.
I’ve looked for bunga kantan high and low too here in Chicago. I found a substitute that you could try – myoga – in Mitsuwa which is a chain of Japanese grocery stores. The smell is not as fragrant and it’s tiny, the size of your pinkie. It looks like a embryo version of bunga kantan. I made kerabu bok nee with it and it was alright. I figure beggars can’t be choosers. I’m desperate enough to find it that I have considered growing it. BTW, thanks for sharing your recipes and beautiful pictures. I’m from Penang too and your blog reminds me of home.
I know about myoga but it just doesn’t have the same fragrance of bunga kantan. :(
Sigh… this is the ultimate ingredient I have been searching up and down in Australia. I know where to get the plant but it takes 4-5 years to flower. If anyone knows about how to get FRESH ones in Australia that would be great!!
Same here, searching high and low but nothing.
In Australia, you can get in Chinese shop ( inside the freezer ), easy. I bought it so many time before. I like to use it in green papaya salad. But the package said do not eat it raw ( Huh ) ???
Lucky you, I haven’t seen the frozen one here in the US.
We don’t have bunga kanta and turmeric leaves here, too in Toronto. Sigh! Just wish there are more demand … maybe the markets would start importing it.
I wish I have a bunga kantan tree and have all the herbs that I can just pluck and use, just like home.
Hi, we are lucky to get them here frozen in new zealand, the indonesians call them kechombrang but do not know what it was for until I, a Malay, made them assam pedas and rojak. They could not get over the explosion of taste and fragrance on their tastebuds!!
I have never seen it here at all, you are so lucky!
I’m very excited to hear that we can get bunga kantan in New Zealand! umyousef, can you tell me what store you buy them from?? (Best wishes for success to those searching in the US and elsewhere).
Torch ginger and in fact all kinds of ornamental gingers are abundant in Hawaii. They do very well in the wet valleys as well as the mountain sides, but I have seen ginger growing almost everywhere in Hawaii except for the very driest areas. Torch ginger grows wild along many roadsides on the Big Island. I never knew you could eat it.
I heard about it that they are available in Hawaii. Are you sure it’s the same plant?
Yen, You said you know where to get the plant, in Australia?
Hi, would you enlighten me on how to use this extraordinary ingredient? i am really curious. can the whole flower be used, or only the bud? tha;nks
Yin – you use only the bud if for garnishing. For flavoring, you can drop the whole thing into your curry, etc.
Yen,Appreciate if you can tell me where to get the plant in Australia.Are you in Sydney?
i c. thanks for your reply
Once, I received this from my friend who lives in Jakarta since I was craving to make Ikan Arsik (Batak’s dish). In North Sumatra, bunga kencong or kincung di Sumatra Utara, Javanese calls kecombrang, Sundanese calls honje, while Balinese calls bongkot.
to umyousef
I think I saw those in the Auckland Avondale markets, sold by Cambodian or Thai. Not sure how to use them but I know they are wonderful and so unique and fragrant. My mum used to use it back home in Msia. My mouth waters!
Hey I saw some of these last week at one of the Asian markets I shop at. I didn’t know what they were. I live in Texas, Dallas. I’ll go back and look around tomorrow if I can or the next. I’ll let you know.
The Torch Ginger is known by the botanical name “Etlingera elatior”. Only thin slivers of the unopened bud is used for flavouring. The opened flower is big and beautiful. If you happen to visit Singapore, come to our Botanic Gardens – Ginger Garden and view the different varieties of gingers grown there. Or you may google to find out more about this ginger. Cheers. Angie
Thanks for your information. :)
This Bunga Kantan loves to grow in places with lots of water , hence it grows well in places near water flowing, drains etc. The best thing when it starts sprouting buds, its best to harvest and freeze them if you don’t use them fresh. At my family home, we have to keep an eagle eye on them flowers as my neighbours and passerbys eye for them too! In Thailand, these flowers are used more for flower arrangements than eaten. They don’t know what they are missing
Vivienne – thanks for the info about the bunga kantan, never know it. Well, too bad the Thais are missing out on this wonderful ingredients. Laksa is not laksa without it.
My grandma made kerabu bunga kantan with this.
You thinly slice across the unopen bud at an angle. Stop when you can not cut or when they feels too tough to eat. Use the rest to flavour other dishes in cooking. Kerabu is eaten raw.
Mix this into fresh sambal chili (not cook), kerisik (white shredded coconut – dry fry them till brown then loosely grid them in a mortat and pastal), dried shrimp (wash then pound lightly in the martar and pastal), juice of limau kasturi. You can add an hard boiled egg (coarsely chopped up).
You can make kerabu of ladies finger (boiled whole then cut off the top), kerabu green mango (shredded/julienne), kerabu buah nenas (ripen pineapple), kerabu belimbing (star fruit), …oh, yum.
I haven’t made any Nyonya dish since I leave Malaysia. Reading your blog makes me want to cook these dishes. My kid are begining to explore cooking I think it is good for them to learn. One thing they can’t eat hot food.