Galangal is a root with a spicier and harder texture than ginger, commonly used in Thai, Malaysian and Indonesian recipes. It can be difficult to find in North American grocery stores, but can be substituted with dried or frozen versions, or a mix of ginger and spices. Cinnamon, mace, black pepper and ginger can also be blended to create a galangal substitute.
Galangal is very similar to ginger – both are roots with pungent flavours, although galangal is generally spicier and much harder in texture than ginger. Ginger also features a brown, papery coating while galangal has a shiny yellow skin. While both are very popular in Thai, Malaysian and Indonesian recipes, ginger is generally more popular in Europe and the United States. For this reason, galangal may be hard to find in some grocery stores, which means a substitution may be needed. Cooks can substitute fresh galangal for dried or frozen versions, or mix ginger with some spices to replicate the flavor.
Fresh galangal root can be very difficult to find in most North American grocery stores. Cooks determined to use this spice in their foods may have luck looking for it in the Indian cuisine section. Some stores sell it in dried flakes or powder. In general, the flavors of the dried root are much stronger than the fresh versions. Only one teaspoon of powdered galangal substitute is needed to replace about 1 inch (about 2 cm) of the fresh root. When using dried flakes, cooks should generally grind it up with a mortar and pestle or an electric coffee grinder. It is very hard and does not usually break down well in liquids.
Though some cooks strongly advise against it, ginger is often recommended as the best galangal substitute. The ratio for substitution is usually 1:1, which means cooks don’t have to do any special measurements for their recipes. Some cooks may even want to use ginger as a galangal substitute without searching for this hard-to-find root. Ginger is usually cheaper than its rare cousin, and some people don’t like the peppery undertones of galangal.
Cooks preparing a traditional Indonesian or Malaysian recipe may run into difficulties because ginger and galanga may both be called for in the recipe. In these cases, the cook has several options. He or she may simply decide to use the requested ginger and leave out the galangal altogether. Others may prefer to double the amount of ginger in the recipe to make up for the lack of galangal. Another option is to make your own galangal substitute blend with ginger and a few other spices.
Cinnamon, mace, black pepper and ginger – mixed in the right proportions – could become the perfect galangal substitute. Cooks should generally experiment with different ratios to see which flavors they like best. Some might use all four herbs, while others might prefer the ginger and cinnamon flavors.
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