Fingerroot in Thai Cooking

Fingerroot, also called lesser galangal or Chinese keys, grows as a bunch of long, thin rhizomes that look like fingers. It is especially good with fish and seafood, where it tames strong flavours.

Pronunciation	gra-chai
Flavour	Earthy, peppery and camphor-like
Used in	Gaeng pa (jungle curry), fish curries, khanom jeen nam ya
Substitute	Jarred krachai in brine; a little galangal at a push

How it is used

Cut into fine matchsticks and added to gaeng pa (jungle curry) and stir-fried fish curries, or pounded into the fish curry sauce for khanom jeen nam ya. It is also infused in drinks and used in traditional medicine.

Buying and storing

Fresh krachai is sold in Thai grocers, often frozen. Jars of shredded krachai in brine are easier to find; rinse them before using. Fresh roots keep for a week in the fridge and freeze well.

Pad cha

Fingerroot is the defining flavour of pad cha, a fierce, dry stir-fry named after the sizzle of the hot pan. Seafood or fish, often catfish, is stir-fried with garlic, chillies, strips of krachai, sprigs of fresh green peppercorns, makrut lime leaves and holy basil, and seasoned simply with fish sauce and a little sugar. The krachai and peppercorns go in after the protein has seared so they do not scorch. Jarred krachai works well here if fresh is hard to find.

Yellow, red and black krachai

The everyday cooking root is krachai lueang, with yellow flesh. Krachai daeng, a red-skinned form, is used in much the same way. Krachai dam, black ginger, is a different plant altogether (Kaempferia parviflora), with purple-black flesh. It is sold dried or as a tonic and is not a substitute in curries.

Cook’s tip
Peel fingerroot by scraping it with a spoon, then cut it into thin matchsticks so diners can eat it rather than picking it out.

How it is used

Buying and storing

Pad cha

Yellow, red and black krachai

More Vegetables