Pickled Grachai (Rhizome) Strips, Double Horse, 16 oz

Pickled Rhizome Strips are known as grachai in Thai and internationally by many other names including Chinese keys, Chinese ginger, Lesser ginger, fingeroot, wild ginger, krachai, Kaempferia pandurata, Boesenbergia rotunda or mistakenly lesser galanga. It should not be confused with galangal root. This long, thin finger-shaped rhizome is difficult to find fresh in the states, so the best way to attain the delicious unique flavor is to use the preserved rhizome (dry or pickled).

Grachai root is most often used in Thai seafood dishes, because of its distinctive aromatic, almost medicinal flavor. It is used in Thai curry pastes, especially paired with seafood and is also a key ingredient in kanom jeen namya (a sauce for a type of fresh Thai noodle). It is also favored as an addition to Jungle Curry.

Grachai is reportedly high in Vitamin A and has many curative powers. According to Gernot Katzer's spice site, "Fingerroot is used as a medicine, not for cooking, in China, and it is a rare spice in the cuisines of Vietnam and Indonesia." (Source: Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages)