Spice
Indonesian Lengkuas
A tier
Lengkuas is the Indonesian name for greater galangal used across the archipelago in rendang-adjacent pastes, soto, and countless bumbu bases. Same Alpinia galanga species, local name and usage patterns. Pound lengkuas with turmeric, ginger, and chillies for base pastes. Fresh lengkuas from Indonesian markets can be huge—cut what you need and freeze the rest. The word lengkuas on a recipe means galangal, not ginger.
Track this ingredient
Unit
Characteristics
Preparations
BumbuPoundRendang BaseSoto
Traits
AromaticBumbu EssentialGreater GalangalIndonesianIndonesian NameLengkuasPaste RhizomePiney
History
ID
Lengkuas was foundational in Indonesian spice paste architecture.
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Regional cuisines diversified lengkuas use from Sumatra to Java and beyond.
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Lengkuas remained an everyday wet-market rhizome.
Indonesian cookbooks abroad glossed lengkuas as galangal for translators.