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How Can Lemongrass Be Used in the Kitchen?

Lemongrass is an integral part of Southeast Asian cuisine and can be used in many ways. The lemongrass plant belongs to the grass family and consists of greenish stems with reed-like leaves. Lemongrass is commercially available in various forms in this country: you can buy it fresh or dried, but you can also buy it ground or in pieces.

Lemongrass got its name because its aroma is reminiscent of lemons. It tastes slightly spicy and also has a very fresh smell. It owes its taste and smell to the essential oil citral. In dried form, the aroma is slightly weaker.

Fresh lemongrass is usually chopped up before use or softened with a hard object so that it can fully develop its aroma. It should be wrapped in newspaper and stored in the fridge so it can be kept for several weeks.

  • The taste of lemongrass goes well with many Asian dishes, such as soups. Cut the so-called bulbs into pieces and simply cook them. Lemongrass often has a lot of wooden fibers that make it impossible to eat. Therefore, you should remove it again before serving. The dried and ground version, on the other hand, can remain in the dish.
  • Lemongrass is very difficult to remove from wok dishes or salads. Therefore, you can simply remove the outermost leaves and chop the inside into very fine little pieces. These are soft and therefore easy to eat.
  • Tea can also be made from fresh lemongrass. To do this, you should thoroughly soften the bulbs so that they can develop and release their aroma well. Then pour hot water over them and let them steep for a moment. The fresh, lemony taste of this tea can also be combined with other flavors, such as ginger.
  • The use of fresh lemongrass as skewers, for example for pieces of fish or meat, is also very common. Remove the outer leaves of the bulbs and thread the raw meat like on a wooden skewer. Then cook both together in the pan or on the grill. The lemongrass passes on its fresh aroma to the meat.
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Written by John Myers

Professional Chef with 25 years of industry experience at the highest levels. Restaurant owner. Beverage Director with experience creating world-class nationally recognized cocktail programs. Food writer with a distinctive Chef-driven voice and point of view.

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