- Type
- Roots & Stems
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Season
- -
- Sowing
- From rhizome
Lesser galangal
Alpinia officinarum
Galangin and 1,8-cineole · a hard aromatic rhizome of the ginger family
Galangal is the rhizome of a perennial in the ginger family, met in the imported-foods aisle under that name. It resembles ginger but is far harder, closer to wood in the grain, with rust-brown bands ringing the skin and a pungent aroma somewhere between pine and pepper. What goes into tom yum and curry pastes is usually the larger species, greater galangal (Alpinia galanga); lesser galangal is smaller and sharper. Reported constituents include the flavonol galangin and an essential oil in which 1,8-cineole features. For a broth it is sliced thin or bruised with the back of a knife to release the aroma, then lifted out before serving, because the fibre is too tough to chew. The Donguibogam lists it in the Herb section as 高良薑, giving it a hot nature, a pungent and bitter taste, and no toxicity. It comes from Goryang prefecture (高良郡), the entry says, which is where the name comes from, and its form resembles that of sangang (山薑); it also records the preparation, sliced and fried in oil. As a tropical and subtropical crop it cannot overwinter outdoors in Korea, so it arrives as dried slices or frozen rhizome.
Where It Grows
- Origin This is both the plant's origin and, in practice, its only large-scale producing area. Xuwen, a single county on the Leizhou Peninsula in Guangdong, accounts for most of China's planted area, with Hainan next.
- Major producer The northern uplands fall within the plant's original range, and the same species is grown there.
- Wild population Its wild range carries on into the northern forests.
- Major producer Some lesser galangal is grown here, but the "kha" common in the markets is greater galangal (Alpinia galanga), a different species from lesser galangal.
It is native to the belt running from southern China into the northern Indochinese Peninsula. The goryang in its Korean name is itself a place name — Gaoliang, in what is now western Guangdong — and that area, together with Hainan, is still a producing region. It is not grown in Korea, so the entire supply is imported. Among the rhizomes sold as "galangal" in the imported-food aisle, the large, coarse-grained pieces are usually greater galangal (Alpinia galanga) from Thailand or Indonesia, a different species, so the map should not be read as the range of a single species.
- Optimum
- 22~30℃
- Range
- 15~35℃
- Hardiness
- Tropical
It grows in partial shade in tropical and subtropical lowlands that stay warm all year and see frequent rain. It cannot take frost, and growth halts below 10℃, so it does not survive the winter in open ground in Korea. The rhizome takes three or four years to thicken enough to be worth using as a spice.
How to grow
- Light
- A plant of tropical part shade. Kept in a pot in Korea, a bright indoor spot out of direct sun is the closest match
- Soil and depth
- Free-draining but never dry. The rhizome runs sideways, so width matters more than depth
- Spacing
- In Korea it is bought rather than grown. In a pot, allow at least 30cm across per plant
- Watering
- Water often enough that the soil never dries. Bring it indoors in winter and keep it above 10C
- Feeding
- No feeding is needed; if it is grown, give a weak feed from spring through summer only
- Harvest
- Almost nobody digs it in Korea. It reaches the market as dried slices or whole frozen rhizome, and the frozen form holds more aroma
What makes the difference. Choose pieces with a pale cream cut face and an aroma sharp enough to catch the nose. Darkened or scentless pieces are old. Slice frozen rhizome while still frozen so it does not crumble, cut only what is needed and return the rest to the freezer
Why this one is harder. A tropical and subtropical crop, it cannot overwinter outdoors in Korea. A pot indoors will give you the foliage, but the rhizome takes several years to thicken enough to use as a spice. Better to plan on buying it
Common problems
- Mould on dried slices You will see White or blue powder on the cut faces and a musty smell What to do Discard the whole packet. Keep the rest in a sealed container somewhere cool and dry
- Storage insects You will see Small insects and fine dust inside the packet What to do Move it to a sealed container and freeze anything being kept long. Do not use what insects have been through
This page describes how a crop is grown and used. It does not claim health effects for any food, nor is it intended to prevent or treat disease. Component and study notes are references only and do not mean the same result occurs in people. Consult a medical professional about health concerns.
Health Benefits
The old record — goryanggang (高良薑). The Donguibogam lists it in the Herb section as 高良薑. It records a hot nature, a pungent and bitter taste, and no toxicity. It comes from Goryang prefecture (高良郡), the entry says, which is where the name comes from, and its form resembles that of sangang (山薑). It also gives the preparation: sliced and fried in oil. What an old medical text wrote differs from how it is judged today.
A flavonol that took its name. Galangin, a flavonol named after the plant's botanical name, has been reported isolated from the rhizome. This is an analysis of composition.
Essential oil and aroma. Analyses report that galangal's aroma arises from essential-oil components including 1,8-cineole. The same work reports that the profile shifts during drying and storage, the components being volatile. This is an analysis of aroma.
Nutrition
- Galangin (isolated from the rhizome) — a flavonol named after this plant's botanical name
- 1,8-cineole (a leading component of the essential oil) — the volatile compound behind the pine-sharp aroma
- Essential oil (slowly lost during drying) — the volatile fraction that carries most of the aroma
- Fibre (grain close to that of wood) — coarse fibre that cannot be chewed down
The aroma sits in the oil Almost all of galangal's aroma comes from its essential oil. Being volatile, 1,8-cineole among the components, it escapes with a long boil or an uncovered pot. Dried slices fade too, so once the packet is open, move them to a sealed container somewhere cool.
Galangin Analyses report the isolation from the rhizome of galangin, a flavonol named after the plant's botanical name. Flavonols are a compound class distributed widely across plants. This entry stays with the compositional record.
A different grain from ginger Press ginger with a knife and juice comes out; galangal is close to wood and resists the blade altogether. That coarse fibre is why it is sliced or bruised and lifted out rather than grated in. Sliced straight from the freezer it cuts thin without crumbling.
The quantity a spice is used in A few slices flavour a whole pot. Spices go in at small quantities to begin with, so reading a per-100g composition figure straight across gives a badly wrong picture of what is actually eaten. That is the first thing to check when reading numbers for any spice.
Pairings
○ Lemongrass and lime leaf — The aroma of a tom yum broth is built by galangal, lemongrass and lime leaf together. All three are too fibrous to eat; they are there to flavour and be removed. Add them as the broth comes to the boil and do not leave them long.
○ Coconut milk — Fat in coconut milk holds the essential oil and carries the aroma right through the pot. High heat splits the milk, though, so keep it low. Fry the galangal to release its aroma before the milk goes in.
○ Fried in oil — The Donguibogam records it too: sliced and fried in oil. The essential oil dissolves readily into fat, so frying it first when building a paste draws out the most aroma. Burnt, it turns bitter, so add the next ingredient before it colours.
△ Do not swap ginger in for it — The names are alike and both belong to the ginger family, but the aromas are not interchangeable. Put ginger where galangal should go and the whole direction of the broth changes. If none is to be had, postpone the dish rather than approximate it. The same holds in reverse.
△ Do not chew the pieces — Galangal is woody enough that it will not chew down. Lift the pieces out once they have flavoured the broth, and make sure none get into the serving bowls. Be especially careful with a broth children will eat.
△ Mouldy dried slices — Dried spices take up damp and grow mould. If the cut faces show white or blue, or the packet smells musty, discard the whole packet. Do not cut away the mouldy part and use the rest.
Varieties
- Lesser galangal (小高良薑) (species) — Alpinia officinarum. Smaller and sharper, the species used as a materia medica under that Chinese name
- Greater galangal (species) — Alpinia galanga, called kha in Thailand and used in tom yum and curry pastes. Thicker, milder in aroma
- Dried slices (processed) — Imported as thin dried pieces. The aroma fades over time, so keep them sealed
Source: Donguibogam (Treasured Mirror of Eastern Medicine), Herbs section (Chobu), entry "Goryanggang" (lesser galangal)