Also known asLengkuas · Laos · Blue Ginger · Alpinia galanga · Kha
Name: Galangal (Alpinia galanga, greater galangal; also Alpinia officinarum, lesser galangal) — a knobbly, cream-coloured, pink-ringed rhizome related to ginger, with a sharp, citrusy, pine-like flavour. In Thai it is kha, and in Indonesian laos or lengkuas.
Description
Galangal is native to Southeast Asia and southern China, and has been used in cooking and traditional medicine for centuries. It was carried to Europe in the Middle Ages, where it was an expensive spice, but was largely replaced by ginger, and is now much more important in Southeast Asian than Western cooking.
It is essential to Thai dishes such as tom kha gai (coconut chicken soup) and tom yum, and to Indonesian and Malaysian curries and pastes. The rhizome is much harder and woodier than ginger, and its flavour is sharper and more floral.
Main nutrition value
Galangal is eaten in small amounts as a flavouring, so it contributes little nutritionally, though it contains aromatic compounds studied for various health effects.
How best to be consumed
Galangal is used for flavour, and usually not eaten whole.
- Slice thinly, and simmer in soups such as tom kha and tom yum, then leave the slices on the side.
- Pound into curry pastes with lemongrass, chilli and shallot.
- Grate or chop finely, using a sharp knife or a mortar, since it is very hard.
- Substitute ginger plus a squeeze of lime if you cannot find it, though the flavour is different.
- Store in the fridge or freezer.
Overconsumption could cause…
Galangal is safe in food amounts.
- Stomach upset or heartburn from large amounts.
- Possible interactions with blood-thinning and diabetes medicines in concentrated medicinal doses, so check with a doctor.
- Allergic reactions in rare cases.
- Mistaking galangal slices for edible pieces in a soup, since they are woody.
Wikipedia — Alpinia galanga, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpinia_galanga
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