Galangal

Not ginger, despite appearances

Galangal looks like ginger from a distance — knobbly, pale-skinned, similar shape. But the two are different species in the same family (Zingiberaceae), and the flavors are markedly different:

• Ginger — warm, sweet, slightly fruity.
• Galangal — sharper, more peppery, with strong pine and camphor notes; mildly numbing on the tongue.

They are not interchangeable in cooking. A Thai tom kha gai (chicken-coconut soup) made with ginger instead of galangal tastes thin and unfocused — the camphor edge of galangal is what makes the dish work.

Two galangals

• Greater galangal (Alpinia galanga) — larger, paler, milder. The standard Thai version.
• Lesser galangal (Alpinia officinarum) — smaller, redder, sharper. More common in medicinal use.

Most South Asian groceries stock greater galangal as fresh root or frozen sliced. Substitute powdered ginger only as a last resort — and add a tiny pinch of pepper to compensate.

Where it goes

• Thai curries — red, green, massaman, panang; galangal is in nearly every paste.
• Tom yum and tom kha — Thai sour-spicy and creamy soups.
• Indonesian rendang — slow-braised beef.
• Vietnamese chao ga — chicken congee.
• Malaysian laksa — galangal is in the spice paste.

Galangal is too tough to eat directly — slices are typically simmered in the dish, contributing aroma, then left whole or fished out.