Plant atlas Short
Galangal: The Ginger Look-Alike in Tom Kha Gai
Galangal · ข่า · Alpinia galanga
Galangal — ข่า (kha) — Alpinia galanga.
In a controlled crossover trial, a proprietary concentrated galangal extract taken with caffeine raised alertness and sustained attention. Galangal is ginger's woodier, sharper look-alike, and it provides copper, iron, vitamin C, and fiber. Thai cooking uses the rhizome for its citrus-pine flavor: Tom Kha Gai simmers galangal with chicken and coconut milk, while red curry paste pounds it with chilies and aromatics.
Tom Kha Gai — ต้มข่าไก่ (tom-kha-gai)
Nam Phrik Kha — น้ำพริกข่า (nam-phrik-kha)
Food and nutrients
Rich in: copper, iron, vitamin C, fiber
Research context
A concentrated galangal extract raised mental alertness and sustained caffeine's focus in a controlled trial — J Am Coll Nutr, 2017
Sources
Source: Srivastava et al. (2017). Alpinia galanga (EnXtra) on alertness/attention: double-blind placebo-controlled crossover RCT, n=59. J Am Coll Nutr 36(8):631-639. PMID 28910196
Narration transcript
Opening
Grab this at the market thinking it's ginger and your soup will taste all wrong. Galangal is ginger's harder, paler look-alike, too woody to grate, with a sharp pine-and-citrus bite. Galangal — ข่า, kha. You slice the fresh rhizome into soups and pound it into curry paste.
Tom Kha Gai (ต้มข่าไก่)
Tom kha gai is a Thai coconut-milk soup simmered with sliced fresh galangal, chicken, lemongrass, and lime leaves.
Nam Phrik Kha (น้ำพริกข่า)
Nam phrik kha is a dry Northern Thai chili paste that pounds roasted galangal, dried chili, and garlic together, eaten as a dip for steamed mushrooms.
Nutrition summary
Galangal contains — iron at 12% of the daily value, fiber at 11%, and a smaller amount of thiamin.
Copper
Copper helps your body use iron and maintain normal connective tissue.
Iron
Iron is part of hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in your blood, and it supports normal energy metabolism.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is used to build collagen and helps protect cells from oxidative stress.
Fiber
Fiber adds bulk to meals and can help with fullness.
Closing
Galangal spreads from its rhizome into a clumping, reed-like patch you can harvest piece by piece. Those thick slices give tom kha gai its citrus-pine backbone under the coconut milk. Follow Longevity Biome, and LIKE this video for regular updates.
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