Create allergy card
← Browse ingredients

Galangal

An aromatic rhizome used fresh or dried to season Southeast Asian soups, curries, and pastes.

Galangal — illustrative ingredient image

About Galangal

Galangal is an aromatic rhizome used as a seasoning, usually peeled or sliced, pounded, grated, or ground before use. It is used in Southeast Asian soups, curries, spice pastes, marinades, sambals, and rice or noodle dishes.

Its flavour is pungent, peppery, citrus-like, and resinous, with a sharper profile than common culinary ginger. Fresh rhizomes are firm and pale inside, while tenderness, moisture, and intensity vary with maturity, handling, and form; the term covers more than one culinary rhizome in trade and regional usage.

Fresh rhizomes have a thin tan to reddish-brown skin and pale interior. Fresh, frozen, dried, sliced, and powdered forms occur in cooking; drying and grinding remove moisture and change texture and intensity. Preparation may involve peeling, slicing, pounding, grating, or grinding, depending on the dish.

Ingredient type
whole food

Forms & related ingredients

FOLLOW IT TO THE PLATE

Where will you meet it?

Explore the dishes that use this ingredient and their country and cuisine connections.

Explore linked dishes

ON A MENU OR LABEL

Find local names and written forms to help recognise this ingredient.

See local names

Where galangal appears

37 linked foods

Find foods to recognise by country and type. Recipes and products vary; these are recorded ingredient connections.

Showing 1–12 of 37

Main dishes

Ingredient connections awaiting review · Coverage is still growing, including packaged snacks.

Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for galangal

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

galangal

English

galanga roots

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

galangal roots

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Galangal nutrition & diet

Galangal nutritional value

Representative benchmark: Spices, not further specified

Representative nutrition benchmarkOfficial table values for a comparable food category, not a laboratory measurement of this exact ingredient.

Per 100 g of 100 g edible portion in the named official reference form.

Calories
349kcal
Protein
12.1g
Carbs
30.5g
Fat
14.5g

Representative benchmark from a comparable official food-composition category; it is not a laboratory measurement of this exact ingredient. The displayed reference form must be considered, and species, cultivar, recipe, brand, processing and preparation can change values.

Portions & preparation

Use fresh galangal as a sliced, bruised, grated, or pounded rhizome, and distinguish it from dried galangal or galangal powder. Tough pieces may flavor a broth and be removed before eating, whereas grated or pounded galangal contributes more of the edible portion to pastes, curries, and sauces.

Compare the right form: Reference should match the identified galangal species and edible form—fresh rhizome flesh, dried slices, grated root, or cooked paste.

Diet considerations

Galangal is a plant-derived rhizome. Plain fresh or dried galangal is compatible with plant-based recipes, but pastes, broths, curry preparations, and sauces may contain fish, shrimp, meat, dairy, or cereal ingredients. The form and amount used also change whether it is mainly a removed flavoring or eaten ingredient.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Typically compatible
  • Vegetarian
    Typically compatible
  • Pescatarian
    Typically compatible
  • Keto
    Depends on the version
  • Paleo
    Typically compatible
  • Low-carb
    Depends on the version
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Not established
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Typically compatible
The plain ingredient profile is plant, fungal or mineral based. Added ingredients in a prepared product need a separate check.
Vegetarian · Typically compatible
The plain ingredient profile is plant, fungal or mineral based. Added ingredients in a prepared product need a separate check.
Pescatarian · Typically compatible
The plain ingredient profile is plant, fungal or mineral based. Added ingredients in a prepared product need a separate check.
Keto · Depends on the version
Compatibility depends on the portion and preparation. A sourced carbohydrate amount for a defined serving is not available.
Paleo · Typically compatible
The plain form fits the conventional paleo food groups. Added ingredients and individual interpretations can differ.
Low-carb · Depends on the version
Compatibility depends on the portion and preparation. A sourced carbohydrate amount for a defined serving is not available.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: Pacific Nutrient Database 2020 — 01.1.9.4.0_99 ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .