Fingerroot: The Peppery Thai Root in Pad Cha

Fingerroot — กระชาย (kra-chai) — Boesenbergia rotunda.

It carries a compound called panduratin A. In cultured cells, that compound blocked SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID. Fingerroot itself is a cluster of pale, slender roots that tastes like ginger crossed with pepper, and the part you eat is the root. For Khanom Jeen Nam Ya, pounded fingerroot seasons a fish curry ladled over rice noodles with raw cucumber and long beans. In Pad Cha (a fiery seafood stir-fry), cooks toss julienned fingerroot over high heat with seafood, chili, and fresh green peppercorns, which you eat with jasmine rice. Those roots hang down in a finger-like bunch, which is how fingerroot got its English name.

Khanom Jeen Nam Ya — ขนมจีนน้ำยา (kha-nom-jeen-nam-ya)
Pad Cha Talay — ผัดฉ่าทะเล (pad-cha-ta-lay)

Research context

Fingerroot's panduratin compound blocked the COVID-19 virus in lab studies — Scientific Reports, 2020 (in-vitro)

Sources

Source: Kanjanasirirat P et al. (2020). Boesenbergia rotunda & Panduratin A as anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents. Sci Rep 10:19963. DOI:10.1038/s41598-020-77003-3

Narration transcript

Opening

Dig up this plant and a fistful of pale, slender roots fans out from the base like a bunch of stubby fingers, which is how it got its name. Fingerroot — กระชาย, gra-chai. The part you eat is that root, peppery and sharp like ginger's fierier cousin, pounded into curry paste or shredded into a fiery stir-fry.

Khanom Jeen Nam Ya (ขนมจีนน้ำยา)

In khanom jeen nam ya, pounded fingerroot seasons a fish curry ladled over the noodles with raw cucumber and long beans.

Pad Cha Talay (ผัดฉ่าทะเล)

In pad cha talay, julienned fingerroot is cooked over high heat with seafood, chili, and fresh green peppercorns, then served with jasmine rice.

Closing

Fingerroot grows from a knobby rhizome you can split and replant in a warm, shady, well-watered pot. Krachai is the backbone of pad cha, tossed with seafood, chili, and fresh green peppercorns over a screaming-hot flame. Follow Longevity Biome, and LIKE this video for regular updates.

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