Beef salad!

Cooking Discussions
21

I’ve been meaning to try Thai Basil for years and have never been yet. Now I must go. Thank you.

22

Where is it? This one in Sacramento?

23

The best Thai I’ve had. I suspect the one in Roseville may have changed hands. Haven’t been to the one on J St. for years but it used to be excellent.

1 Like
24

I’m only familiar with the one in J street. I understand the main chef is a bit of a sac city Thai icon. I do need to try it.

2 Likes
25

I haven’t found this in local Asian markets (yet) aside from dried powdered. Is that even close to a substitute in recipes? I imagine that, like powdered lemongrass, it isn’t :weary:. FWIW I just bought some. Is galangal “paste” from Amazon for $12 worth it?

1 Like
26

Better to just use ginger.

1 Like
27

It’s usually in the freezer section when I’ve found it (and usually at a market that has enough Thai and Vietnamese groceries vs. mostly Chinese or mostly Korean). (I use ginger when I don’t have it, but I’ve never seen it in Thai beef salad, only garlic. Still, ginger never hurt anything in my book!)

2 Likes
28

I really like preserved ginger in Asian salads and I have developed a method for quickly making your own (that is if you don’t care about the red color). Just put a couple of 1 inch thick pieces of peeled ginger in a cup of water and bring to a boil in the microwave. Drain, and repeat. At this point it should be easy to coarsely mince. Then put the mince in a half cup of water with a half cup of sugar (and maybe some rice vinegar if you want it a bit tangier), and again microwave to a boil. Let it cool while you prep your other ingredients and it will be ready when cool.

2 Likes
29

from what I gather it is the galangal Christina has trouble getting, not ginger.

1 Like
30

I got that… was just offering up a nicely textured substitute that works well in salads. You could also cut back on the sugar and add cayenne or a variety of roasted pepper purees (and maybe some citrus zest) with the water to add the extra kick that galangal has. But I really like that ginger in my Asian salads so I offered up my method.

2 Likes
31

Or perhaps Amazon?