Galangal (Alpinia galanga)

There are two main types of galangal: greater galangal (Alpinia galanga), native to Java, and lesser galangal (A.officinarum), native to the coastal regions of southern China. Both are cultivated extensively throughout Southeast Asia, Indonesia, and India. Greater galangal is the type that is used in the kitchen, mainly in Southeast Asia. The aroma of greater galangal is mildly gingery and camphorous. Several plants with similar properties to lesser galangal are also referred to, confusingly, by this name. One of these is aromatic ginger. In Indonesia, pounded, dried aromatic ginger is added to various dishes; in China it is mixed with salt and oil, and served with baked chicken; in Sri Lanka it is roasted and ground for biryanis and curries. Fingerroot, also called Chinese keys, krachai, and temu kunci, is another galangal-type plant that grows in Southeast Asia, As krachai, is essential to some Thai curry pastes, and also used in soup.

Buy

Fresh greater galangal can be bought from oriental shops and some supermarkets. It may be identified by its local names: kha (Thailand), lengkuas (Malaysia), or laos (Indonesia). Dried slices and powdered galangal are widely available; galangal in brine can be substituted for fresh.

Storage,

 The fresh rhizome will keep 

for 2 weeks in the fridge, or can be 

frozen. Powdered galangal will keep 

for 2 months; dried slices keep their 

flavour for at least a year.

EAT 

Like ginger, fresh galangal is 

easy to peel and grate or chop. It is 

always preferred to dried, but dried 

slices can be added to soups and stews; 

first soak them in hot water. Remove 

before eating as they are too tough to 

be palatable. Throughout Southeast 

Asia galangal is used fresh in curries 

and stews, in sambals, satays, soups, 

and sauces. In Thailand it is an essential 

ingredient in some curry pastes, as it 

is in the laksa spices of Malaysian 

Nyonya cooking. In Thai cooking it is 

often preferred where other Asian 

cuisines would use ginger, especially 

with fish and seafood. It is good with 

chicken and in many hot and sour 

soups, providing the key flavouring in 

tom kha gai, the popular chicken and 

coconut milk soup. Powdered galangal 

is used in spice blends throughout the 

Middle East and across North Africa 

to Morocco (in ras el hanout). Grated 

galangal and lime juice are used to 

make a popular tonic in Southeast Asia. 

FLAVOUR PAIRINGS Chicken, 

fish and in sauces for fish, seafood, 

chilli, coconut milk, fennel, garlic, 

ginger, lemon grass, lemon, kaffir lime, 

shallots, tamarind.

CLASSIC RECIPES

 Tom kha gai; Thai curry pastes; ras el hanout.

Sources

This info was drafted from Dk publication book called Ingredients you can buy this book at Amazon.

Image was taken from Wikipedia 

Thank you