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Galangal is one of the most important ingredients in Thai cuisine, in fact, I often call it one of the holy trinity of Thai food (the other two being lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves). In this video I demystify galangal by talking about everything from how it smells, ways to use it and how to store it properly so it lasts you a long time.
The part of the galangal plant that we use for cooking is called the rhizome even though it is a often thought of as a root. A rhizome is the part of the plant from which the roots and the shoots come out. It's extremely versatile but it is greatly under utilized by cooks in the Western world who use them only in soups such as tom yum or tom kha. In this video you'll learn 3 different ways galangal can be used!
You'll also learn what you can substitute it with...or rather...what you cannot use to substitute. There are no other ingredients I can think of that smell like galangal, so your best bet is to find alternative forms of galangal which are also discussed in the video.
I hope you enjoy this video and feel inspired to use galangal in your cooking!
For more videos like this on other Thai ingredients, check out this playlist! MORE THAI INGREDIENT VIDEOS
TOD RANSDELL
Yes, I have tried powdered or ground galangal. It is not very pleasing, so I don't use it anymore. I have avoided getting fresh until I started watching your videos. I bought some today and plan a Thai inspired meal tomorrow. I also got ground pork (B grind) King Oyster mushrooms, garlic chives, Basil (not differentiated on the label) ... I have some ideas forming ... I'm waiting for inspiration 🙂
Vic
I live in Nassau County, NY. I have not been able to find galangal or kaffir. Does anyone out there know of stores around here that might carry these ingredients?
Adam from HTK
Hi Vic! Hmmm nothing near you on the map yet I think? https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/locate-a-thai-grocer/ Cheers!
Lance
I used to think lemongrass was the dominant aroma of Thai food; but after reading Hot Thai Kitchen and trying the recipes myself, I really think the scent that (to me) characterizes Thai food the most is kaffir. I honestly don’t remember galangal having a strong smell… but maybe that’s because I can only find it frozen where I live.