Product guide
Alpinia galanga
Thai galangal ground fine — pine-sharp, citrusy and clean; the backbone of tom kha rather than a stand-in for ginger.
Botanical story · current research
Greater galangal is a tall member of the ginger family with firm, pale rhizomes and an aroma that combines pine, citrus and pepper. Alpinia galanga is not interchangeable with common ginger: its texture is woodier and its flavour sharper, cleaner and more resinous. The rhizome gives many Southeast Asian dishes their unmistakable aromatic backbone.
Alpinia galanga
Southeast Asia
In Thai cooking, galangal is central to tom kha, tom yum and numerous curry pastes, often working beside lemongrass and makrut lime. Indonesian and Malaysian kitchens also use it in spice pastes, soups and slow-cooked dishes. Its role is usually structural: it builds fragrance and depth rather than simply adding heat.
Rhizome · powder
Fresh galangal is sliced for broths or pounded into curry paste; dried slices can be rehydrated, while powder disperses quickly through sauces and marinades. Powder is convenient but more concentrated and cannot reproduce the fibrous bite of fresh rhizome. All formats come from the same Alpinia galanga stem beneath the soil.
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Laboratory study identifying compounds and activities.
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From plant to kitchen
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How to prepare
Use 1 teaspoon of powder in place of roughly 2 cm of fresh galangal.
Add it early to soups and curries — galangal needs a few minutes of simmering to round out.
In a paste, grind it together with lemongrass and makrut lime peel before the wet ingredients go in.
Ways to use it
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