Recipe
Aromatic broth base with galangal (tom kha)
- Herb:
- Greater galangal Alpinia galanga
- Method:
- Culinary use
- Plant part:
- Rhizome
About 25 minBeginnerRecipe science profile
Procedure
- Wash the galangal and cut 4–5 thin slices (no need to peel); bruise a lemongrass stalk and cut it into 3 cm pieces, tear the makrut lime leaves.
- Put everything into 500 ml of water or coconut milk and bring to a gentle boil.
- Simmer for 15 minutes to release the aroma; then add mushrooms, chicken or tofu to taste and finish cooking.
- Season with lime juice and fish sauce or salt. Remove the galangal slices and lemongrass before serving.
Extraction
- Herb:
- 4–5 slices of galangal, 1 stalk of lemongrass, 3 makrut lime leaves per 500 ml
- Solvent:
- water or coconut milk, simmer for 15 minutes
- Shelf life:
- broth base: 2 days in the fridge
- Target compounds:
- essential oil (1,8-cineole, methyl cinnamate) and resinous substances pass into both hot water and coconut milk fat
Notes
A kitchen recipe with no particular risks. Galangal slices are woody and are removed before serving — they are not meant to be chewed.
Why it works
Galangal gives its scent through resinous volatile oils that dissolve in hot water and in the fat of coconut milk — which is why tom kha smells richer than a plain water broth. The traditional digestive use in Thai and Ayurvedic practice has no verified clinical source in this catalogue, so it stays recorded as tradition only.
Literature
- Thai cuisine — tom kha gai (traditional recipe) — A culinary base; the galangal is not eaten in it, only infused.
Related
Greater galangal — Herb card
Culinary use — Processing method detail