Turmeric/Galangal/Pandanus SE Asian Spice Pack

Grow the three essential flavours of Southeast Asian cooking in your own backyard. This spice pack brings together turmeric (Curcuma longa), galangal (Alpinia galanga) and pandan (Pandanus amaryllifolius) — the aromatic backbone of curries, laksas, rendangs and countless Thai, Malaysian and Indonesian dishes.

Turmeric rewards you twice: lush, banana-like foliage through the warm months, then plump golden rhizomes to harvest when the leaves die back in winter. Fresh turmeric is a different ingredient entirely from the dried powder — earthy, peppery and vividly orange, wonderful grated into curries, teas and golden milk.

Galangal is turmeric’s taller cousin, a handsome clumping ginger with firm, pine-and-citrus scented rhizomes that no tom yum or tom kha is complete without. It’s a permanent, productive clump in the garden — harvest from the edges and it keeps on giving year after year.

Pandan is the vanilla of Southeast Asia. Its long strappy leaves infuse rice, curries, cakes and drinks with an unmistakable sweet, nutty fragrance. A compact, tidy plant that’s just as happy in a large pot by the kitchen door as it is in the garden.

All three thrive in  warmth, moisture and rich soil — so they make natural companions in a dedicated spice bed or a cluster of pots. In cooler areas, grow them in containers and move them somewhere protected over winter; turmeric will die down and reshoot in spring, while galangal and pandan appreciate a warm, sheltered spot. Pandanus amaryifolius needs more protection from cold.

Your pack includes one healthy, nursery-grown plant of each, propagated here at El Arish on the Cassowary Coast and packed carefully for the trip to your door. For more information of growing Duan pandan.