Lesser galangale is, in contrast to the popular greater galangale, hardly known in the West being closely tied to only a few indigenous cuisines. Actually, it seems to be used mainly by the Malays in Malaysia and Indonesia (especially, in Jawa and Bali). Its strong aroma is less pleasant than that of greater galanga, at least in high concentration or on first contact.

Slices of the dried rhizome may be cooked with vegetable or meat dishes, but mostly the spice is used fresh and grated or crushed. It is essential for Jawanese cooking (Rijstafel) and often appears in the characteristically spicy-sweet foods of that island. For example, lesser galangale often flavours the peanut sauce (sambal kacang) made from ground peanuts, sweet soy sauce (kecap manis), raw spices (chiles, garlic and lesser galangale) and tamarind water or lime juice. Sambal kacang is typically served to sate, grilled meat on tiny skewers, but also goes well with boiled or steamed vegetables.

Even more than in Jawa, lesser galangale is much loved in the neighbouring island Bali. The most famous dish owing its character in part to lesser galangale is Balinese roast duck bebek betulu, a favourite with tourists in Bali. A whole duck is rub inside and outside with a paste (Balinese jangkap, in Indonesian called bumbu) made from onions, ginger, lemon grass, garlic, kemiri nuts, chiles, other spices and lesser galangale; after wrapping in banana leaves, the duck is first steamed and then roasted in an oven which makes the meat extraordinarily tender. The result certainly justifies the effort.

In other parts of Asia, lesser galangale is not known as a spice, though it is widely cultivated as a medicinal herb. It has, though, some culinary usage in China, particularly in the cooking of the Sichuan province. Contrasting the usage in tropical South East Asia, lesser galangale is always used dried in Chinese cooking. Chinese cookbooks often refer to it as "sand ginger", translated from Chinese sha jiang. Its powder is being sold by some spice companies as kapurkachli powder.

The fingerroot, another spice from the ginger family, is very frequently confused with lesser galangale. This spice consists of finger-like tubers sprouting from a lumpy central part and is therefore easily recognizable; its taste, however, resembles lesser galanga. Its main use is for fish curries in Thailand.

Another plant from the ginger family is zedoary, also called white turmeric. Although aromatic, it is, however, less important as a spice because of its rather strongly bitter taste.