Made from the greater galangal  Laos Powder is confined to local Indonesian dishes such as curries.   Laos powder is an important part of Far Eastern when, as well as with fish, is used in a wide variety of dishes such as sauces, soups, satays and sambals, chicken, meat and vegetable curries. Although used in the often very hot Indonesian cookery, laos powder also enhances dishes such as chicken delicately spiced with fennel and lemon grass and gently cooked in coconut milk. However, these mild dishes are usually accompanied by vegetable or fish sambals seasoned with chili. 

Although known in Europe since the Middle Ages, galangal is now used only in Far Eastern cookery from Indonesia, Indochina, Malaya, Singapore and Thailand. Like ginger, galangal is a ‘de-fisher’ and so appears frequently in fish and shellfish recipes often with garlic, ginger, chili and lemon or tamarind