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 1Penang 1Ternate 1Yunnan Province 1BangkokBoholCapizGuimarasHanoiJakartaKampotKuchingMalaccaMalukuNonthaburiTernate and Tidore
Blends of the region
SambalRendang spice paste (bumbu)Thai red curry pasteMassaman curry pasteMalaysian meat curry powder
Countries
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 3 moreTemulawak
The rhizome of a Javanese ginger relative, used for its earthy flavour and traditional wellness drinks.Root · Earthy and deep · Bitter
🇮🇩 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
🇮🇩 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 moreGinger
The pungent rhizome of a flowering perennial, one of the world's most traded spices.Root · Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent
🇻🇳 Vietnam and 4 moreHouttuyniaæŠ˜è€³æ ¹
A heart-shaped herb with a sharp fishy taste used in salads and teas across Asia.Leaf · Sharp and pungent · Citrus and bright
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 5 moreKencur沙姜
A stemless ginger-family rhizome with a peppery, camphorous biteRoot · Sharp and pungent · Herbal and green
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
- Kencur: Hariadhi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Greater galangal: Raffi Kojian, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ginger: Venkatx5, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Temulawak: Ariyanto, CC BY-SA 4.0, source