Vegetable · Organic farm, Bresela
Butterfly Pea Flower, the Blue Bloom from Our Garden
A deep blue flower that colours tea, rice and desserts, and changes with a squeeze of lime.
- English
- Butterfly pea flower
- Indonesian
- Bunga telang
- Botanical
- Clitoria ternatea Fabaceae
The butterfly pea flower at a glance
- Taste
- Very mild, slightly woody and earthy, close to a light green tea.
- Texture
- Soft, thin petals, used fresh or dried and steeped in water.
- How to eat
- Steep fresh or dried flowers in hot water for a blue tea. Add lime juice and the colour shifts to purple or pink.
- In the kitchen
- Used as a natural blue colour for tea, steamed rice, kue and puddings, and for cold drinks with lime and ice.
- Season
- The vine flowers through the year in warm, sunny conditions.
A blue flower that colours food
Clitoria ternatea is a climbing vine with deep blue flowers shaped a little like the wing of a butterfly. The Indonesian name is bunga telang.
In kitchens across Southeast Asia, its petals are used to turn rice, cakes and drinks a vivid blue.
The colour trick
Steep the petals in hot water and the tea turns deep blue. Squeeze in some lime and the drink shifts to purple, then pink, as the acid changes the pigment.
It is a simple trick and a good one for children, who tend to ask for a second glass.
On the vine
The vine twines up fences and trellises, with small leaves and flowers that open in the morning. Pods follow the flowers, flat and green, a little like small peas.
In Indonesian and Balinese kitchens
Fresh flowers are pounded for the blue colour in kue and sweet rice cakes. Steeped petals make a cold drink or a coloured rice, and a few dried flowers will colour a whole pot of tea.
Butterfly pea flower at Sanggraloka
The butterfly pea vine grows in our organic garden at Bresela, 25 minutes north of Ubud.
Ask us when you book and we will tell you whether the vine is in flower.
Taste it on the farm
The Tuesday harvest walk follows the vegetable beds. What is ready changes week to week.
Organic Vegetables
A morning in the vegetable beds to harvest what is ready that week and learn how it is grown.
Farm Taster
A walk through the farm with a goodie bag of herbal drinks, snacks, nuts and cookies, and a guidebook to carry along.
Cooking Class
Three hours that begin with a harvest walk on the farm, then Balinese dishes with our chef. Up to ten guests.
Planning a visit
Come in the morning if you can. The paths are cooler and the leaves still hold dew.
- Who can visit
- Ask us on WhatsApp
- Entry
- Ask us on WhatsApp
- Opening hours
- Ask us on WhatsApp
- Find us
- Jl. Raya Bresela, about 25 minutes north of central Ubud and 63 km from the airport.
- What to bring
- Closed shoes, since the paths are soft after rain, and a hat.
- Booking
- Through the activity booking page, or send your date and number of guests on WhatsApp.
Questions about butterfly pea flower
Why does butterfly pea tea change colour?
The blue pigment in the petals reacts to acid. Add lime juice and the drink moves from blue to purple and pink. A little acid goes a long way, so add it slowly.
What does butterfly pea flower taste like?
Very mild, slightly earthy and woody, a bit like a light tea. It is mostly used for its colour, so people add lime, honey or ice to give the drink more flavour.
How is butterfly pea flower used in cooking?
As a natural blue colour for tea, steamed rice, cakes and puddings. In Indonesia the petals are pounded or steeped, and the water is then used to colour the dish.
A morning in the vegetable garden
Book a farm experience, or send us your date and we will tell you what is ready to pick that week.
