Galangal has a very unique flavor. I first encountered it when cooking at Spice Market restaurant in NYC. They used this rhizome in an emulsion sauce that paired with these mushroom egg rolls. I fell in love with it since the first taste.
The rest of my pictures did not really show the true color of the galangal emulsion – it was a lovely minty green color (shown above)
A friend mentioned she was visiting an Asian market and I asked her to pick up some galangal for me. They only had frozen, but once it defrosts, it works just as well.
My idea was to replicate the mushroom egg rolls and the galangal emulsion that so perfectly accompanied them, but my recipes from my restaurant era were tucked away in the attic. Enjoy this variation as close as I remember it!
- 2 1/2 cups mixed mushrooms (I used shiitake and baby bella)
- 1/2 Tbsp minced ginger
- 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 2 lemons, zest only
- 1 Tbsp fresh tarragon
- 3 egg roll wrappers (I used Nasoya brand)
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil, for frying
- salt to taste
- GALANGAL EMULSION INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 container plain Greek yogurt (omit this to make it a PAREVE/dairy free dish)
- 3, 1-inch pieces of galangal, chopped fine manually and then through chopper/food processor
- 1/4 water
- 1 stuffed cup of basil – more is good too for color and flavor. (Thai basil is better, but harder to find)
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar ( you may want more if you prefer more of a “bite”
- salt to taste
- Saute the mushrooms with a little oil in a saute pan until the edges get brown.
- Add the ginger, garlic, onion and salt until translucent.
- Add tarragon and lemon zest and off the heat, fold in the sesame oil. Allow to cool.
- Fill the wrappers with a good amount of filling – following instructions on the packaging for sealing the egg roll wrappers.
- Fry in oil on all sides until golden brown and pat on paper towel when they are done.
- GALANGAL EMULSION:
- After you’ve gotten the galangal as finely chopped as possible, place it in a fine mesh strainer and pour the water over it, squeezing as much of the galangal “juice” as possible. Keep going until your galangal is a dry pulp.
- Mix the rest of the ingredients, and add the “galangal juice” and buzz in a food processor until fully incorporated.
- Adjust seasonings with salt, lemon juice and rice vinegar, depending how bright and pungent you want it to be. Serve with your mushroom rolls!