DIY Pink Limeade from Torch Ginger Flower – Natural Pink Tea

I didn’t know that this flower is edible or that it can be make into a tea. Just look at that color !

The lady who sold it to me said I can use it to make “Khao Yum” , a Thai dish from the south where rice is mixed with a variety of thinly sliced herbs and pomelo into a spicy tangy salad. I chewed on one of the petals and I think it is more of an acquired taste, cuz it felt like the aftermath of eating soap. However, the lady also said I can boil it and make flower tea, just like the butterfly pea flower tea I like to make.

I decided to boil them down into a syrup and drink it with soda and lime  :

If you are cutting down on sugar you can just mix it with soda as the tea is naturally sour.

While reading up on this flower, I found a short folk tale about it. It goes that there were 2 lovers , a Malay girl and a Thai guy , whose love was objected by their families because of their different religion. One day, the Thai guy have to return to his country and he made a promise that he will return. The Malay girl will go wait for him at the border. As days turn to months into years, the Malay girl was still there waiting. She made a wish that if she was to die, let her be reborn into this beautiful Torch Ginger flower so that she can continue on her wait for him. For the asshole that never came back.

( That last sentence is mine and not part of the story. 😤 )