Recently one of my new friends to this blog asked if I had any recipes with lemongrass. Next to cilantro, lemongrass is one of my favorite herbs. So, in addition to the recipe that I've also posted to HomeChef, I decided to also include a little information about lemongrass and how it is used to create tasty dishes!
Few other herbs or aromatics have taken over the Western World as much as lemongrass has in recent years. Today, you can find this ingredient in most supermarkets. Lemongrass is a perennial tufted plant that has a bulbous base. It grows in dense clumps that can be found in tropical and subtropical climates and is now also commercially cultivated. Lemongrass looks like fat scallions (or green onions) or very slim leeks. Cut stems are typically about 8 inches long.
Lemongrass appears as a simple green-yellow stalk, but its wonderful citrus-like aroma is found when the stems are cut. This aroma is coupled with a clean, yet intense lemon flavor with a hint of ginger and yet none of the acidity of lemons or grapefruits.
You may find some recipes call for the use of lemongrass rind, but the rind simply does not have the intense flavor that fresh lemongrass can provide. Ground, dried lemongrass is called seair powder and can be used instead of the fresh variety. To substitute exchange 1 teaspoon of powder as the equivalent of 1 fresh stem. In your supermarket you may find the fresh, dried or ground varieties of lemongrass. Many markets now also carry fresh lemongrass paste in the vegetable aisle.
Lemongrass is most commonly used in soups, sauces, stir-fries, curries, salads, pickles and marinades. It is a perfect compliment to coconut milk, especially in fish, seafood and chicken dishes. The best Thai chefs often start a stir-fry by adding a few rings of lemongrass and perhaps even a little grated or chopped fresh ginger root or galangal to the oil. Not only does this infuse the oil with some lively flavor, but it also serves as an aromatic guaranteed to make your mouth water!
There are two ways to use lemongrass in cooking. First, the stem can be bruised, then cooked slowly in a soup or stew until it releases all the flavor before the stem is removed from the dish. Or, the tender portions of the lemongrass stem (usually the lower 2 inches of the stem) can be sliced or finely chopped, then stir-fried or used in salads or braised dishes. You may find that you can use one stem of lemongrass for both purposes. The upper portion of the lemongrass stem is best used for basting broiled or BBQ'd food (see below).
You can store lemongrass stems in a paper bag in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 weeks.
To make a lemongrass basting brush: take the dry stalk and trim off the bottom 2 inches of the stem to use for cooking or in a soup. Then, flatten the cut end of the stem using a cleaver, pestle or flat side of a large knife or cleaver. This produces a fibrous brush that used for basting.
You may also find that lemongrass is called by many other names, such as: takrai (Thai); ningmeng cao (Mandarin); xiang mao (Cantonese); xa (Vietnamese); sera (Sinhalese); serai (Malay); sere, sereh (Indonesian); bhustrina, sera (Indian); hierba de limon (Spanish); erba di limone (Italian); Zitronengras (German); and herbe de citron (French).
Copyright M. A. Webb, 2004-2006. All Rights Reserved.
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