laam4 goeng1藍薑蓝姜
Jyutpinglaam4 goeng1
Yalelàahm gēung
Definition
Galangal; a rhizomatous plant of the ginger family used as a spice in cooking.
colloquialfood
How it's used
Galangal is a staple in Southeast Asian cooking, particularly in Thai and Indonesian cuisines, and is frequently used in Hong Kong for specific types of soups or braised dishes. It is often confused with ginger, but it has a much sharper, piney, and citrusy flavor profile that cannot be easily substituted. You will most commonly find it in wet markets or specialty grocery stores rather than standard supermarket produce aisles.
Measure word
gau6嚿gauhExamples
This soup has galangal in it, it tastes very unique.
When you buy galangal, remember to pick the fresh ones.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse 藍薑 with standard ginger, known as 薑, as their flavors are distinct and not interchangeable in recipes. Using regular ginger when a recipe specifically calls for galangal will result in a completely different flavor profile.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
