Spices of Southeast Asia
The Spice Islands of cloves and nutmeg, and the pastes of lemongrass, galangal, chilli and shrimp that anchor the cooking of the region. 35 spices on EveryMasala so far.
Spice cities, markets and growing areas
Java 3New Delhi 2Sumatra 2Yunnan 2Banda Islands 1Borneo 1Kampot Province 1Kep Province 1Kerinci 1Luang Prabang 1Mantai 1Meghalaya 1Mizoram 1Ternate 1Yunnan Province 1BangkokBoholCapizGuimarasHanoiJakartaKampotKuchingMalaccaMalukuNonthaburiPenangTernate and Tidore
Blends of the region
SambalRendang spice paste (bumbu)Thai red curry pasteMassaman curry pasteMalaysian meat curry powder
Countries
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreCurry paste
A blended mixture of spices and aromatics used as the base for curries in Asia.Warm and sweet-spiced · Earthy and deep
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 5 moreGreater galangalข่า
The pungent rhizome of a ginger relative, essential in Southeast Asian soups and curries.Root · Sharp and pungent · Citrus and bright
🇨🇳 China and 4 moreFingerrootกระชาย
The finger-shaped rhizome of a tropical ginger relative, used fresh or pickled in Southeast Asian cooking.Sharp and pungent · Citrus and bright
🇰🇭 CambodiaKampot pepperម្រេចកំពត
A Cambodian cultivar of black pepper with a protected geographical indication status.Seed · Sharp and pungent · Earthy and deep
🇻🇳 Vietnam and 1 moreRice paddy herbngò ôm
A tropical aquatic herb with lemon-cumin notes, native to Southeast Asian rice fields.Leaf · Citrus and bright · Warm and sweet-spiced
🇱🇦 Laos and 5 moreLemon basil
A hybrid herb with a bright citrus scent, used across Southeast Asia and Africa.Leaf · Citrus and bright · Herbal and green
🇹🇭 Thailand and 5 moreKaffir limeมะกรูด
The bumpy-skinned citrus fruit and double-leafed shrub of Southeast AsiaFruit · Citrus and bright · Sharp and pungent
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 3 moreGalangal
The pungent rhizome of the ginger family, essential to Southeast Asian soups and pastes.Root · Sharp and pungent · Warm and sweet-spiced
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 5 moreAndaliman
A citrus-scented, tongue-numbing seed husk related to Sichuan pepperFruit · Numbing and tingling · Citrus and bright
🇰🇭 Cambodia and 5 moreVietnamese corianderrau răm
The fresh leaves of a tropical herb used in Southeast Asian soups and saladsLeaf · Citrus and bright · Sharp and pungent
🇻🇳 Vietnam and 4 moreHouttuynia折耳根
A heart-shaped herb with a sharp fishy taste used in salads and teas across Asia.Leaf · Sharp and pungent · Citrus and bright
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Houttuynia: Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Curry paste: Ryan Snyder, CC BY 2.0, source
- Greater galangal: Raffi Kojian, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Andaliman: Daderot, Public domain, source
- Vietnamese coriander: Joditran, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Rice paddy herb: Emilia Murray, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Fingerroot: Ariearsad, CC BY 4.0, source
- Kampot pepper: PsamatheM, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lemon basil: Kembangraps, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kaffir lime: David Monniaux, CC BY-SA 3.0, source