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

  • Leaf Celery (Kinchay)

    My favorite herb to put in noodles is leaf celery or kinchay. It is a Chinese herb and it is a symbol of good fortune during the Chinese New Year. It adds a wonderful flavor to stirfry and all kinds of noodle recipes. I use it together with green onions. Their flavors combined makes food…

  • |

    Calendula

    Calendula (Calendula Officinalis) belongs to the  daisy family often known as marigolds.  It is also well known as Pot Marigold because during the old days calendula are utilized like herbs in a pot of stew hence the name “pot marigold”.

  • Bay Leaf/Laurel

    Bay leaf is an herb that imparts a good flavor for any cooking especially European cuisine. I use it practically for all my Spanish style recipes like adobo, menudo, afritada and much more. I want to use it so much I bought a small plant and it is taller now. I actually pruned it already…

  • 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…

  • Lemongrass

    Lemongrass is a perennial plant with grass like leaves. I like to grow them for my sometimes urge to cook Thai cuisine like Thai chicken curry, red or green. I also use lemongrass for tea by boiling the leaves instead of throwing it away after taking the bulbous part which is the main part that…

One Comment

Comments are closed.