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Lesser Ginger or 'Rhizome'

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Lesser Ginger or 'Rhizome' (Gkrachai)

by Kasma Loha-unchit
Text Copyright © 1995 & 2000 Kasma Loha-unchit.

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See below for Recipes with Gkrachai

Rhizome (Gkrachai) Although Gkrachai it has come to be called in English by a broad name, gkrachai (also kachai) is not just any rhizome, but a very specific kind with its own distinctive piquant flavor and tangy fragrance that cannot be mistaken with other members of the ginger family to which it belongs. Known also as "lesser ginger", "lesser galanga" and "Chinese key," this root is comprised of a cluster of long, slender, orangish brown fingers joined to an insignificant, knobby gingerlike rhizome. Because its exuberant, aromatic quality freshens the taste of seafood, it is used primarily in seafood dishes. The fingers are cut into fine slivers and tossed along with other fragrant herbs into hot-and-spicy seafood stir-fries, curries and incendiary soups.

Rhizome is rarely available fresh in the United States, but is imported from Thailand in frozen pouches found in Southeast Asian markets. It also comes pickled or packed in brine in glass jars – rinse and soak a few minutes to wash away the brine before using; or dried slivers in plastic bags – soak in water to reconstitute. (I recently saw jars of this long, skinny rhizome labeled simply as "galanga" or "galingale;" so take care not to get it confused with the totally different "greater galanga"). The frozen roots yield far better results that come closest to fresh and should be used whenever possible, but if you have to substitute with dried pieces, use only half the amount called for. Soak in warm water to reconstitute; they won't quite soften enough to chew on, but will flavor stir-fries and can be chopped up to pound into curry paste.

Text Copyright © 2000 Kasma Loha-unchit in Dancing Shrimp: Favorite Thai Recipes for Seafood. See pages 67.

This is just one of many listings in the "Alphabetical List of Ingredients" in chapter four (pages 49 to 73) of Dancing Shrimp: Favorite Thai Recipes for Seafood.

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Lesser Ginger, "Rhizome" (Gkra-chai)

Gkra-chai Gkrachai is a rhizome composed of several long, slender, fingerlike appendages attached to a small lumpy head. There are three varieties – yellow, red and black – each reflecting the color shade of the root. The first two are more commonly used in cooking, and when you buy the root in frozen packages imported from Thailand, the rhizome will usually be reddish brown.

Although a member of the ginger family, this herb is not so much pungent as it is sweetly aromatic. Its strong and unusual perfume masks the fishiness of seafoods and lightens the heaviness of meats, but it can overpower more delicate flavors if it is used excessively. I like to add it to light, herby seafood curries (such as green curry ) and to hearty spicy stews to broaden flavor dimensions. In folk medicine, this rhizome is used to treat urinary problems, dysentery, dizziness and inflammations around the mouth. It also makes a tonic for improving bodily strength.

Lesser ginger is usually labeled simply as "rhizome" and sometimes as kachai. Try to find the frozen roots from Thailand. I prefer to do without rather than use the dried or powdered forms.

Text Copyright © 1995 Kasma Loha-unchit in It Rains Fishes. See page 95.

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The best form for 'rhizome' is, of course, fresh. We were able to find fresh rhizome in Miami but have never seen it locally in the San Francisco Bay Area. The next choice would be frozen, found in the freezer section of some Asian markets. After that, look for a whole rhizome in brine, such as is sold by Temple of Thai. Rinse thoroughly before using.
Recipes with Lesser Ginger or 'Rhizome' (gkrachai) : 
    Curries
       Green Curry with Fish/Shrimp Dumplings (Gkaeng Kiow Wahn Loogchin Bplah/Gkoong)
    Seafood Dishes
       Sizzling Stir-Fried Squid with Chillies and Fragrant Herbs (Bplah Meuk Pad Chah)

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Text Copyright © Kasma Loha-unchit, 1995 in It Rains Fishes, and 2000 in Dancing Shrimp. All rights reserved.
Drawing Copyright © 1995 Margaret DeJong. All rights reserved.
All material on this website is Copyright © 1995 to 2008 Kasma Loha-unchit. All rights reserved.
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Page added 15 December 2003. Last updated 1 March 2004.