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Torch Ginger

Combrang/Honje

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By William Wongso

Published 2016

  • About

Combrang, or some people prefer to call it, bunga kecombrang (torch ginger flower), may not immediately ring a bell among those familiar ingredients already listed. However, the ingredient, which goes by several names here is familiar enough to those looking for a rich and strong fragrance to balance spicy dishes, such as sambal bongkot from Bali, most Malaysian and Singaporean curries, and to accentuate the overall taste of nasi pecel from East Java.

The commonly used part of the plant is the flower, although the stalk of the plant, called rebung, can also be used to add flavor to dishes after undergoing some medium boiling process. The good combrang is a pointy pink at the top of the flower, with gradations of pink, white and light green going down to the bottom of the stalk, and culminating in a green end. The torch ginger has to be thinly sliced to ensure that the ingredient does not dominate the dish. Widely sold in traditional markets, it is sold with the whole stalk in paper or plastic packaging. Store this in a fridge for up to two weeks, before the intense flavor starts to disappear and the white part becomes yellowish.

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