Galangal

IMG_0775

Galangal – Alpinia galanga – is a rhizome in the family of ginger. We call it “langkawas” in the Philippines from the Indonesian or Malay word “lengkuas”. It is used mainly for Asian or Thai cooking but it has some medicinal properties too. It is considered an stimulant by homeopathic practitioners. It is also a remedy for sea sickness and stomach ailments.

I got interested in planting galangal because I like Thai cooking very much. I bought a small size rhizome in the market at Chinatown and prepared to plant it. I knew it needs soil with good drainage and lots of composted materials for retaining moisture. Then I waited for months. It grew well with nice green leaves almost identical to ti leaves and the stem was tall and hard not like the common ginger. Intuitively I know when to check if it is ready for harvesting, when the leaves are turning yellow. So I dug them up and I was so surprised I got a whole lot with just a small rhizome as you can see in the picture. I just gathered these when I took the picture and they still have the roots. I felt a sense of accomplishment seeing the fruit of my labor. The good thing is I can cook as much Thai cooking as I can especially the Tom Yum soup which is my husband’s favorite.

By the way, the galangal is harder than the regular ginger so you will need a sharp knife to slice it.

Similar Posts

  • Flat Leaf Parsley

    Flat Leaf Parsley is more commonly known as Italian Parsley. It is also one of my favorite herb that I use in cooking pasta just like the Sweet Basil. They are very good to use together especially in making pesto and also in almost all pastas and most Italian food recipes. I make sure I…

  • Basil

    Basil- Ocimum Basilicum Basil plant is an herb and comes in different varieties.  It belongs to the family of mint (Lamiaceae). As you can see in the picture, I have tried planting most of the types of basil but my most favorite is the sweet basil which I always use in cooking especially in making…

  • Oregano

    Oregano is an herb that is mostly used in Italian cooking like pizza and pasta. I grow up using dried oregano for meat dishes along with other spices like bay leaf and safflower. I have never seen fresh oregano then. When I started gardening, I tried to look for all culinary herbs I can find….

  • Lemon Basil

    Lemon Basil is a special type of basil for me because I use it to flavor my green tea just like the lemon verbena. It really has that refreshingly good taste when you drink the tea with it. I always keep lemon basil in my herb garden but this one started to flower no matter…

  • Dried Herbs

    Knowing herbs as an important part of our culinary world, I tried to study them and experimented on how to grow and how to use them in my cooking. Over the years, I was able to develop a liking to certain types of herbs and so I learned also how to preserve them by drying…

One Comment

Comments are closed.