Turi sometimes called as Sesbania. Its latin name is Sesbania grandiflora, ornamental shrub (fence tree) with white or red pealike flowers. In Indonesia food culinary, turi flowers usually use as main substance of pecel food (salad made of blanched vegetables served with peanut chili sauce). Others menu is also use turi flowers, such as turi flowers soup.

The tree is high and slim for ornamental shrub, that’s way this tree usually use for fence.With oval leaves, seems like Poinciana tree leaves, and there are few branches. This tree can fertilize soil because of the nitrogen in its roots.There are two kinds of turi flowers, white and red. The red truthly more beautiful, but it’s not tasty to eat because bitter. The sheath seems like sickle moon. If the flowers blossom, it will open like butterfly wings. Hmmm….beautiful! :). The stem often cracked, with brown to red sap, and usually use for coloring.

How to cook it? After flowers cleaned, you have to option; you can direct steam it in 10 minutes, or boil it in boiled water which add with salt (just a little bit), stir a moment, after wilted, pick up from water, and pour it with ice water or cold water. After that, press flowers, so its not have water, and let it cold. After cold, you can wrap turi flowers with salad condiment.

Edited for this blog purposed and translated by Reog, original article by Odilia Winneke from Detik.