Galangal (Alpinia galanga)

The exact origin of galangal is unknown. Today galangal is cultivated in all of Southeast Asia.

Galangal is a tall plant with blade-like leaves and white lily-like flowers. Its rhizome has distinctive orange-brown skin marked by rings and a crisp whitish flesh.

Galangal has a beautiful ginger scent and helps to tenderize meat .It is a popular ingredient in Thai soup and curries for its fragrant, tangy aroma. It is the key ingredient in the Thai Tom Yum soup.

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. It is used in the more complex spice mixture of Indonesia, as well as the tongue-searing tom yum soups of Thailand.

In Malay Peninsula, 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.

Currently galangal finds its way into modern spa treatments as an ingredient in herbal body wraps.
Galangal (Alpinia galanga)

Ginger

Ginger
Fresh ginger can be bought almost everywhere in the shop, it should feel form and look healthy, with its suave, suede-textured skin.

Buy a little at a time so that it does not go stale in storage. In fact, ginger freezes very well and can be grated from frozen with great case.

For most dishes, it is peeled and then is either chopped or sliced thinly, or put in the blender along with other ingredients for a paste.

Vary amount of ginger to suit your own taste. If you only want a hint of it to flavour the food, cut it in two or three large pieces which can be found and removed before the dish is served.

Dried and pickled ginger are also good for cooking, but avoid the powdered variety which loses what little flavour it has very rapidly.

Ginger helps the digestion by reducing flatulence and promoting that pleasant feeling of relaxed well-being that the stomach expects after a good meal. It is also said to stimulate the circulation.

To make ginger juice: peel a good sized piece of ginger, and put it into a blender with 1 tablespoon of warm water, then pass it through a fine sieve. It may then be frozen in ice cube trays.

Small amounts of ginger juice can be obtained quickly by crushing chunks of ginger in a garlic press.
Ginger