Welcome to Hot Thai Kitchen: Exploring the World of Galangal

Sawaddee ka! Welcome to Hot Thai Kitchen, where we explore the fascinating world of Thai cuisine and ingredients. Today, I'm excited to share with you one of my favorite herbs, galangal, which is an absolute staple in any Thai home.

Galangal: The Rhizome of Life

Galangal is an herb that's often confused by many people, but today we're going to tackle all your questions and explore its various uses. But first, let's talk about what galangal is. Galangal is the rhizome of the galangal plant (Alpinia galanga), which is a member of the ginger family. It's native to Southeast Asia and has been used in traditional medicine for centuries.

What sets galangal apart from its more famous cousin, ginger? While both plants have a similar appearance, they have distinct differences in terms of flavor, aroma, and usage in cooking. Galangal has a pungent, earthy flavor that's often described as more intense than ginger. It's also more aromatic and is commonly used in Thai curries, soups, and stir-fries.

Finding Fresh Galangal

Fresh galangal can be challenging to find, especially outside of Southeast Asian markets. However, if you're able to get your hands on some, it's essential to store it properly to maintain its flavor and aroma. I like to keep my fresh galangal in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, to keep it fresh for a longer period.

Working with Galangal

When working with fresh galangal, it's essential to handle it carefully. The skin can be quite rough, so I always wear gloves when peeling and chopping it. You can also peel the galangal using a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife. Once peeled, you can chop it into thin slices or grate it for use in recipes.

Preserving Galangal

If you have excess fresh galangal, there are several ways to preserve it for later use. One method is to freeze it. I like to slice the galangal thinly and wrap it individually in plastic wrap or aluminum foil before freezing. You can also store it in a freezer-safe bag or container. To prevent freezer burn, make sure to press out as much air as possible from the packaging before sealing.

Freezer Tips for Galangal

When storing galangal in the freezer, it's essential to follow some tips to ensure its quality and flavor. First, wrap the galangal tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil to prevent moisture from entering. You can also use a freezer bag with a vacuum sealer to remove air pockets. When freezing galangal, make sure to press out as much air as possible from the packaging before sealing.

Freezer Storage Options

There are several options for storing galangal in the freezer. One option is to wrap it individually in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store it in a freezer-safe bag or container. Another option is to freeze it in blocks, which can be convenient for cooking large batches of soups or curries. However, this method requires more effort when cutting the frozen galangal into smaller pieces.

Using Frozen Galangal

When using frozen galangal, you'll need to thaw it first before chopping or grating it. To thaw frozen galangal, simply place it in cold water for a few hours or soak it in warm water for about an hour. Once thawed, you can chop or grate the galangal as needed.

Alternative Forms of Galangal

If fresh or frozen galangal is not available, there are other forms of galangal that can be used in cooking. One option is powdered galangal, which can be found in some Asian markets or online. However, I have to admit that I've never personally used powder galangal, and its effectiveness depends on the brand and quality.

Dried Galangal

Another form of galangal is dried galangal, which can be used in soups, curries, and stir-fries. Dried galangal has a more intense flavor than fresh or frozen galangal and can be rehydrated by soaking it in water before using.

Conclusion

Galangal is an incredible herb that's widely used in Thai cuisine, but often overlooked. With its pungent flavor and aroma, it adds depth and complexity to many dishes. By following the tips and tricks outlined in this article, you'll be able to work with galangal like a pro and explore the world of Thai cooking. Don't forget to share your experiences and questions with us on social media or in the comments section below. Happy cooking!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enSawaddee ka welcome to hot thai kitchen so today I'm gonna talk about galangal which is an herb  that is an absolute staple in any Thai home now I use this quite often but a lot of people seem to  be confused by it they have a lot of questions about it so hopefully today we're gonna tackle  all of that and also I have other videos that discuss other Thai ingredients so if you're  interested in learning more check out the playlist in the description below so let's get started so  these knobbly guys are galangal or what we call in Tai Chi so galangal the part that we use for  cooking anyway is actually just the rhizome of the whole plant and the plant can grow really really  tall we grow tons of it at my home in Thailand a rhizome is actually a type of stem that grows  underground and from the rhizome the roots and the shoots come out and you can actually see  these little dots here are the places where the roots used to be so when they harvest is they cut  off all the roots and in these pink tops the rest of the plant will come out of this top right here  so we used galangal for its aroma it has no taste it's not sweet it's not sour it's not salty but  it has a wonderful cooling aroma that reminds me very much of a pine forest absolutely love  it you can call this slightly medicinal but I mean that in such in like a good way like you  know when you have Vicks on your face and it's refreshing that's kind of what it reminds me huh  so you can use galangal in three major ways and the first way is to slice it up into thin rounds  like this and you see me do that quite often and then you throw these into a soup or a broth and  let it infuse but in this form though as you can see it's very hard you can't eat it so treat it  again like a cinnamon stick let it infuse for a few minutes and then discard it or just not  eat it now if you want to eat it you can but you have to chop it down pretty fine and that way you  can eat it you can mince it if you want to and you can throw it into salads add it into dips  and whatnot now what's very commonly done is to actually pound this into a paste such as a curry  paste or you can just make a general herb paste and put it in sausage mix or you know put it in  a stir-fry or whatever and for that you just used a mortar and pestle which you guys see me do all  the time so it's very versatile and those are the three different ways you can use it so when you  store the lungo you can keep this in the fridge but it doesn't last that long I find it gets moldy  pretty quickly within the week so if I know I'm not gonna use this up within the next few days I  will freeze the rest and it lasts a really long time in the freezer so what I do is I slice it  up first and by the way sometimes it gets really hard especially if you hit the root part and the  older the galangal the harder it is just sort of change your knife position and so you're not  cutting right through the root fit you you manage and when you get to the stem part some people ask  I don't use the stem but you can sort of go around it right because you don't want to waste all that  go around it and you still get slices and then I throw away just this top part so once you have  these slices you do not want to freeze the in a pile like this because they'll stick together  and it'll be so painful to get them out so what you want to do is spread them out onto a plate  so they're in single layer and not touching each other you obviously fill this up I put plastic  wrap underneath because if you don't it'll stick to the plate once it's frozen like these things  stick to everything once the frozen you've got to be mindful of that once these are frozen gather  this and wrap it into a little baggie and then put it in a freezer back not a sandwich back you  want a freezer back that's nice and thick now if you need this to last extra long say you've  got a lot and you think it's gonna last you at least like a couple of months I would wrap this  in foil first before you stick it in the freezer back because foil is impermeable to air and it'll  make them last even longer it prolongs the life before it gets freezer burned galanga is one of  those herbs it's quite hard to find unless you've got a store that stocks a lot of Southeast Asian  ingredients like Vietnamese Thai Cambodian things like that Japanese Chinese grocery stores tend to  not have them some people like to say that oh we just use ginger and I'm telling you people just  because they look kind of the same does not make them immediately substitutable okay I always say  that's sure go ahead and put ginger in it but just be prepared like you're getting a very different  flavor Ginger's hot spice it's a different kind of aroma so I don't consider it a substitute you're  basically just swapping it with a new ingredient right however if you can't find fresh galangal  there are other forms of galangal out there frozen is probably your best bet because I find that  frozen is it really retains a lot of its original characteristic this is the frozen gong call that  I get at my store the only thing I don't like about this is they freezes in big blocks and now  this is hard to work with because it's like rock solid right so if you just need a few slices it's  kind of a pain so what I would do is don't thaw it all the way before you cut it because if you  let it completely thought it'll be kind of mushy okay now I've also found this guy here which I've  actually never used but I found it at a specialty grocery store I thought it was pretty interesting  it's golonka paste which sounds like it would be useful because in this form it just kind of  mixes well into a lot of things and then there's dried which will work well in soups it's gonna be  harder if you need to pound it into a paste cuz dry go and go super hard right and I find that it  does they develop a bit of a different flavor once it's dried but that's okay we need to throw it in  a tom yum soup it'll work powdered I have never personally used so I do question like how much  of the galangal flavor is retained in powdered form if you've used powder before let me know  in the comments and that is it and as always if you have tips and tricks to share with us let  us know in the comments and if you've got more questions reach out to me on Facebook Twitter or  Instagram or on my website Hawkeye kitchen com and if you haven't subscribed to the show definitely  do so you don't miss another episode and I will see you next time for your next delicious tiny\n"