Galangal

Alpinia galanga (L) Willd is commonly known as galangal, greater galangal, Java galangal and Siamese ginger.  This tropical species is native to Southeast Asia, probably southern China. It is cultivated in Indochina, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia and the spice made from the rhizome is very popular in Southeast Asia.

Genus Alpinina belonging to Zingiberaceae is a genus of perennial herbs.  Fresh galangal has a distinctive flowery fragrance, dried galangal has a more spicy and sweetish-aromatic flavor that is similar to cinnamon.

Galangal is found in wild/semi-wild and cultivated area. It comes up well in tropical climate with an annual rainfall ranging from 1500-3000 cm. Plant requires sunny or moderately shady locations.

It has a beautiful ginger scent and helps to tenderize meat especially when it is slow cooked in meat recipe.

Galangal is a ’de-fisher’ and so is frequently used in fish and shellfish recipes, often with garlic, ginger, chili pepper, lemon, and/or tamarind.

In Malaysia, galangal fruits are sometimes substituted for cardamom and the flowers are occasionally consumed in salads. The fresh stems lends a wonderful aroma to dishes such as curries and chutneys and like ginger, galangal goes well with garlic.
Galangal