Galangale, Greater

Greater galangale, commonly known as galangal, is the ginger-like spice that turns Thai crabcakes and Malaysian fishcakes into something very special.

Greater galangale plants	Greater galangale leaves and developing flowers	Greater galangale rhizomes

Species:	Alpinia galanga.
Origin:	Eastern Asia or South-East Asia.
Source:	Greater galangale is native to Southern China and the countries of South-East Asia. It is now cultivated in Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Used Part:	The ginger-like rootstock (rhizome). It is built up from cylindrical subunits whose pale-reddish surface is cross-striped by small, reddish-brown rings. The interior has a similar colour to the skin and a hard and woody texture. Although galangale leaves are aromatic, they are not often used for flavouring purposes. The same holds for the seeds, which could be used in place of cardamom.
Family:	Zingiberaceae (ginger family).
Effect:	Warm, sweet and spicy. Fresh galangale has a distinct fragrance that comes close to fir or pine needles, whereas dried galangale is more spicy and sweetly aromatic, almost like cinnamon.
Etymology:	The common name "galangale", botanical species name galanga and similar forms derive from Middle English galonga, originally from the Persian/Arabic name qulanjan, which may in turn derive from the Chinese liang-jiang "mild ginger". The names in North Indian languages (e.g. Hindi and Bengali kulinjan and Urdu kulanjam originate from the Sanskrit kulanja.
	The genus name alpinia is in memory of the Italian botanist Prospero Alpina (1533–1617). The alternative and younger genus name languas is based on Malay lengkuas "galanga", which in turn relates to the Chinese liang-jiang.
	Several European names refer to the South-East Asian origin of the plant (although not all agree on the exact location) as in English "Siamese ginger", German Siam-ingwer and Portuguese gengibre de Laos. The confusion is due to the fact that laos is Indonesian for "ginger" or "root" as well as a Portuguese name for the modern county of Laos.
Uses:	Greater galangale, mostly referred to simply as galangale or galanga, is a very popular spice in South-East Asia and especially typical of Thai cuisine. It is also known and used in Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Southern China. Chinese five spice is sometimes enhanced with galangale. In Western countries, galangale is not well known today but was a highly valued spice in the early Middle Ages.
	Galangale may be used fresh or dried, with a considerable difference in flavour. Fresh galangale has a pure and refreshing odour and a mildly spicy flavour and is the galangale of choice for all Thai foods. Thin slices of galangale are often added to soups, e.g. to the well-known tom khaa which basically is a variant of tom yam (kaffir lime) with galangale and coconut milk. Moreover, galangale is often used, finely cut or chopped, for stir-fries. Ground fresh galangale rhizome is an essential component of curry pastes. As with ginger, the aroma of galangale merges well with garlic.
	Dried powdered galangale is less fresh but more spicy, somewhere between ginger and cinnamon in its pungency. Dried galangale is also sold in slices that are reconstituted in warm water and come close to fresh galangale in their flavour. In most South-East Asian countries, dried galangale is employed only whenever fresh galangale is not available. Indonesians frequently use slices or powder of the fresh or dried rhizome, e.g. for nasi goreng "fried rice with vegetables and meat" or for the characteristically sweet Javanese curries.
	Another Indonesian dish that makes use of dried galangale is rendang, a spicy beef or buffalo stew. Cubed beef is cooked in thick coconut milk together with dried chillies, garlic, dried turmeric, ginger, Indonesian bay leaves and galangale, with optional Indonesian cinnamon, black pepper and fennel. Rendang is famous both for the soft texture of the otherwise tough buffalo meat and for its hot and aromatic flavour.
	Galangale is sometimes confused with other spices of the ginger family, but its taste and appearance are unique and it cannot be substituted by other spices.