Despite their similar appearances, ginger and galangal are two different spices, differentiated by the way they taste. Galangal is peppery and earthy with hints of mustard. It’s got citrusy top notes and a bitter finish. Ginger is spicy but sweet, with a strong lemon aroma and a mellow finish that gently fades.
Ginger and galangal are cousins. They are both members of the Zingiberaceae family, which includes other pungent, aromatic spices like cardamom and turmeric. The resemblance ginger and galangal bear to each other is striking, particularly if they’re seen when they are fresh. They are both rhizomes—stems of a plant that grow horizontally below the ground. They send out both roots that burrow deep into the earth and shoots of new plants that reach upward, which explains why the fresh roots are so knobby.
Fresh ginger has warm yellow flesh and a rough brown, almost papery, exterior. The peel is very easy to remove and can even be pulled away with the end of a teaspoon. The flesh is fibrous but easy to slice or mash, and it contains so much moisture that it’s almost juicy when cut.
Galangal root has a light tan exterior with darker brown rings. This exterior is harder than ginger peel and has to be removed with a vegetable peeler or sharp knife. The flesh of a galangal root can be dusky white or pale yellow and is very firm. It has more fiber than ginger root and is much denser. Because of the fibrousness, fresh galangal should be shredded or sliced very thinly. Larger pieces can be tough to chew.
They are small, cylindrical tubers, with the rings and rough surface that make them look like single fingers of ginger.
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What is Galangal Powder
Galangal Powder is the result of drying and pulverizing a fresh galangal root. Our dried galangal comes from what is known as “lesser galangal”, Alpinia officinarum, which is native to China. Lesser galangal, despite its name, is more peppery and bold than greater galangal. It is commonly called dried galangal, galangal spice, or just galangal, and it is primarily used in the cuisines of Asia, Southeast Asia, and the South Pacific.
Because Galangal Powder comes from a dense root, the powder is heavy and has a bit of textural toughness. When galangal is dried, the citrusy aspect of the fresh root becomes less pronounced, and its peppery qualities come to the forefront. Galangal Powder is spicy, evoking a combination of mustard and black pepper that fades into a bitter finish. There are faint top notes of citrus and pine. The earthy depth of Galangal Powder can be balanced easily by the addition of some Ground Cardamom, which will provide notes of lemon and orange and a touch of mint. It is often combined with Lemongrass Powder. You could also include some fresh orange or lime zest for balance.
Galangal is more closely associated with Southeast Asian cuisine than food from China or India. Choose it if you’re making Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, or Malaysian foods. It adds earthy depth to the floral nuttiness of coconut and complements lemongrass, as seen in a Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Bowl. Its primary purpose in a recipe is to round out food flavors and provide depth. Aside from coconut and lemongrass, pair galangal with garlic, chile peppers, makrut lime, turmeric, fish sauce powder, tamarind, shallots, duck, and seafood, and in various curry pastes.
We bring Sunchokes to market twice a year. They grow all summer long, and we will harvest some in late October and early November (hence making a great Thanksgiving soup!). And then we will “store” the sunchokes over the winter months by leaving them in the soil, and will harvest them again in the spring months before they begin to grow (again, being a welcoming sign of spring).
Sunchokes are a tuber that store their carbohydrates as inulin (fructose) instead of starch (sucrose), and are good for diabetics. Sunchokes are said to be an excellent source of iron, and can have up to three-times more iron than a serving of broccoli. The are also a good source of vitamin B and C.
Sunchokes are a great way to welcome the spring months at the beginning of the market season. “What are sunchokes?” you might ask. Sunchokes (a.k.a. Jerusalem Artichokes) are a member of the sunflower family, Helianthus. Some times, sunchokes are mistaken as ginger root, as they are very similar in appearance. Sunchokes, however, have a sweet nutty flavor and crunchy texture…imagine eating water chestnuts…its like that, but sweeter and with more flavor. Sunchokes are excellent in soup; try Sidney’s “Cream of Sunchoke Soup” that she made for Thanksgiving. Sunchokes are also an ideal fixing in a salad with their raw sweet-nutty crunch.
Sunchokes store best in a Kuhn Orchards perforated apple bag and should be kept in the refrigerator. They do have the tendency to discolor (similar to an apple), but if you treat them with a little lemon juice or cider vinegar after slicing, it should prevent the pink discoloration.
Ginger: How to Tell if Ginger has Gone BAD!
FAQ
What else looks like ginger root?
What other roots look like ginger?
What looks like ginger but is not ginger?
What root plant is similar to ginger?
What does a ginger root look like?
There are two other roots that look like ginger in the supermarket but aren’t quite ginger. One is a bright orange color that are small and ringed while the other is hard, like wood but is paler. You’re probably looking at either galangal or turmeric, not ginger!
What is the difference between galangal root and ginger root?
Both galangal root and ginger root descend from the broader Zingiberaceae or ginger family and look fairly similar, but their tastes and textures are much different. Learn more about all the ways to differentiate and compare galangal and ginger. What Is Galangal? Galangal is a tuberous member of the ginger family.
What is the difference between turmeric and Ginger?
Here are the differences: Ginger has a thin tan-colored skin that’s easily removed by a spoon. 1 Ginger has soft tan skin. Turmeric has ringed, orange skin. Galangal has pale, smooth yellow skin. A quick look of the exterior of the three rhizomes reveals that turmeric is the most different of the three.
How do you know if a ginger is turmeric?
Even without cutting up the turmeric, you know it’s turmeric because it is highly pigmented. In fact, it’s the only one of the three that is bright orange. Ginger when sliced open is a yellow hue while galangal is a much paler yellow color compared to the yellow color of the ginger. Turmeric stains! Be careful when preparing it. 3 Turmeric stains.