Galangal

galangal Known in Indonesia as laos and in Thailand as kha, this is a close cousin of ginger and looks very like it. It is a pinkish or creamy white rhizome with concentric rings of fine dark lines. Not as firm as gingerroot, it is used widely in Thai, Lao, Cambodian, Malay, and Nyonya cooking. It has a fresh, lemon-sharp hot taste. Many Southeast Asian groceries stock it. Ginger can be substituted, decreasing the quantity called for by about one third.