Recipe - Indonesian Spice Info ( And Galanga)

*** NON NE *****

Indonesian cooking is richly spiced with ginger, turmeric, galangal (see
below), lemon grass, aromatic leaves and herbs, but above all with chilies.
In addition to the spicing used in the preparation of a dish, Indonesians
make a range of relishes, based on chilies, called sambals. These are
served in small dishes on the table. Some are fiercely hot because the
chili seeds have been left in: all are highly aromatic. The Indonesians use
a chili called lombok, similar to tabasco, when making sambals but other
small red chilies can be substituted.

Galanga is a relative of ginger. There are 2 main kinds: lesser and
greater. Both are used in Indonesian cooking, where the former is known as
kencur and the latter as laos. Greater galanga is used in Thailand (khaa)
and Malaysia (lengkuas). The lesser has a more pungent odor than the
greater, with hints of eucalyptus, with a taste like cardamom and ginger
mixed. The greater galanga tastes more pepperygingery, with lemonsour
overtones. Galangal is used throughout Malaysia and Indonesia in curries
and stews. The greater galangal is an essential ingredient in Thai curry
pastes and much preferred there to ginger.

Source: Jill Norman "The Complete Book of Spices" Viking Studio Books, 1991
ISBN 0670834378 The book is lavishly illustrated with full color
photographs of the herbs and spices whole, mixed, ground.

Recipe by: Jill Norman * Web File 4/97 Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #631
by "Mary Spyridakis" MSpork@msn.com on Jun 2, 97