Galangal
Looking a lot like ginger root, but much more pungent and fiery, Galangal (Kha, เธเนเธฒ)ย is to Thai cuisine what ginger is to Chinese food: indispensable.
And while ginger is sometimesย used in the Thai kitchen, galangal use is much more prevalent due to its ability to elevate theย hot and sour flavor profile so well.
Recipes using galangal:
Much like ginger, galangal is a rhizome – and while someย flavor parallels exist, galangal will deliver a deeper spicy, peppery, almost piney taste.
Galangalย also has the ability (much like mirin in the Japanese pantry) to mask the โfishyโ smell fromย seafood and relieve some red meats of their heavy gaminess – rendering them both cleaner andย more delicate on the tongue.