Kaffir Lime Leaves & Galangal

[kirstens]

Can someone help me out as to what these two ingredients are?

 

[phatch]

Leaves from the Kaffir lime tree and a relative of ginger respectively.

Appears mostly in Thai food, but will crop up in Indian, Vietnamese, Laotian, Chinese occasionally.

An asian grocer will  have them. Ask as they can be tricky to locate sometimes.

 

[thetincook]

Galangal was also used in very old European cooking.

 

[butzy]

Galangal is related to ginger and can be replaced by it. There will be a bit of a taste difference though. Galangal is more peppery.

It can often be found dried. don't buy the powder, but use the chunks. After cooking you take the piece out.

The dried version is also known as Laos (in Indonesia).

Kaffir lime leaves are the leaves of the Kaffir lime tree. You can use lemon zest or even leon juice instead.

 

[kirstens]

Thanks all. I figured galanga had some relation to ginger, looks very similar. Galanga, the word, threw me for a loop.

 

[laocook]

FYI, Galangal freezes very well, the powdered and dried stuff are not worth your efforts. As mentioned above, many Asian grocers will carry it.

Kaffir Lime Leaf powder and its dried version have nothing to compare with the fresh or frozen type. It lends a nice light tangy and aromatic taste to dishes. It is added to many soups and stocks, much like you would use a Bay Leaf, shredded it can be added to Lao Larbs and other SE Asian dishes, sometimes it is deep fried and used as a garnish.