Galangal: Southeast Asian Aromatics

Galangal is a rhizome closely related to ginger but with a distinctly different flavor profile. Where ginger is warm and sweet with a slight spice, galangal is sharper, more piney and citrusy, with an almost medicinal quality that forms the aromatic backbone of many Southeast Asian dishes, particularly Thai, Malaysian and Indonesian cooking. In this episode, Nikita uses galangal alongside lemongrass to build the base of her Malaysian-style fish head curry sauce. At home, galangal can be found fresh in Asian supermarkets or dried and ground as a spice. It does not substitute directly for ginger, as the flavors are quite different. Use it in curries, laksa and coconut broths.