What Can You Cook With Fingerroot?

Everything You Need to Know About Fingerroot

In the illustrious world of herbs and spices, a plethora of unique flavours and health-boosting benefits abound. One gem, often bypassed in western cuisines, is the fingerroot. This vibrant, knobby finger-shaped rhizome, also known as Boesenbergia rotunda, Chinese ginger or lesser galangal, is an intricate part of many Eastern and African cuisines and traditional medicine.

The Origins of Fingerroot

Tracing back to the tranquil forests of China and India’s monsoon regions, this therapeutic root has built a long-standing reputation. Not limited to just culinary purposes, this plant is also ornamentally used as a beautiful garnish. Rumour has it, fingerroot was even a part of Cleopatra’s beauty regime making it an herb fit for a queen!

Naming This Versatile Plant

Fingerroot, commonly referred to as “krachai” in Thai, has been identified by a gamut of nomenclature. In the spice trade, you might be familiar with it as galingale, resurrection lily or Chinese ginger. In scientific terms, it’s recognized as Boesenbergia rotunda, expressing importance for its reoccurring use in traditional medical practices. In other corners of the world, it is also known as lesser galangal due to its ginger-like qualities.

Health Benefits of Fingerroot

Instilled with a myriad of benefits, fingerroot possesses potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Used conventionally as a treatment for skin conditions and stomach ailments, it’s also highly reputable in reducing joint pain and inflammation. The fingerroot’s antioxidants refresh the complexion, making it an exclusive ingredient in beauty enhancers.

Recent research also reveals promising results in its fight against obesity and breast cancer. A 2017 study by Kasetsart University in Thailand found that fingerroot has anti-obesity properties. In similar vein, a review published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology mentions its potential in helping to inhibit the growth of tumors.

The Culinary Uses of Fingerroot

Though it comes with a slightly bitter taste, the depth of flavor it adds is indispensable in many traditional dishes. Fingerroot is typically sliced or pounded into a paste to release its unique flavors, typically balancing the spice in Thai and Indonesian cuisines. It’s used in soups, stir-fries, and seafood dishes, or can even be enjoyed raw in salads.

Whether you’re a kitchen adventurer or an avid health enthusiast, the potential of fingerroot is unequivocally vast. Its multi-layered taste and health-oriented traits make it an absolute essential in your pantry.