Lemon Grass
Lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus), a native of India, is widely used in Thai and
Vietnamese cooking. Lemon grass is a perennial, which means once you plant it, the
grass comes back year after year. Depending on the area you live in the plant will
go dormant in the winter. In harsh climates the plant will need to be potted and
wintered indoors. This aromatic herb is used in Caribbean and many types of Asian cooking
and has become very popular in the United States. Most of the commercial crops for the
United States are grown in California and Florida. Lemon grass is also used for
medicinal purposes.
Other Names
(from theepicentre.com)
French:
Citronnelle
German: Zitronengras
Italian: erba di limone
Spanish: hierba de limon
Indian: bhustrina, sera
Indonesian: sere, sereh
Lao: bai mak nao
Malay: serai
Sinhalese: sera
Thai: takrai
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Photograph by GourmetSleuth.com
Culinary
Uses
This is a very pungent herb and is normally used in small amounts. The entire stalk of the
grass can be used. The grass blade can be sliced very fine and added to soups.
The bulb can be bruised and minced for use in
a variety of recipes. (See recipes at the bottom of this page).
The light lemon flavor of this grass blends well with garlic, chilies, and cilantro.
The herb is frequently used in curries as well as in seafood soups. It is also used
to make tea.
Buy
and Store
Lemon grass is available in ethnic markets such as Asian and Mexican. Select fresh
looking stalks that don't look dry or brittle. Store fresh lemon grass in the
refrigerator in a tightly sealed plastic bag for up to 3 weeks. You can also freeze it for about 6 months without any flavor loss.
In addition to fresh, lemon grass may be purchased dried or powdered. The
dried product has to be soaked in hot water and reconstituted before use. The
powdered variety is useful in teas and curries but it's not a good substitute for the
fresh product. For best results in recipes use the fresh
herb.
Medicinal
and Other Uses
This grass is rich in a substance called citral, the active ingredient in lemon peel.
This substance is said to aid in digestion as well as relieve spasms, muscle
cramps, rheumatism and headaches.
Lemon grass is also used commercially as the lemon scent in many products including soaps,
perfumes and candles. A related plant, (Cymbopogon nardus) is the ingredient in
citronella candles sold to ward off mosquitoes and other insects.
Lemon Grass Beef
w/chili Bo Xao Xa Ot by Doug
Ingredients
2-3 pounds beef (or
chicken)
4 cloves garlic
1 large yellow or white onion
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons minced lemon grass
1 teaspoon ground chilies (to taste)
4 tablespoon fish sauce (Nuoc Mam)
2-3 spring (green) onion stalks
2-3 tablespoons coarsely ground peanuts
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoons honey
Directions
Cut beef into small pieces (either
"nuggets" or small strips).
Peel garlic and slice finely.
Cut onion into 1/2 inch strips.
Peel off the hard outer layers of lemon grass stalk and discard.
Peel off the medium layers of lemon grass stalk for stewing purposes
Mince the soft inner layers of the stalk.
Heat oil in large frying pan over medium heat.
Add salt, garlic and onion.
Fry over medium heat until onion is opaque.
Add lemon grass and chili.
Fry 1 - 2 minutes until fragrant.
Add beef and cook until lightly browned.
Mix in fish sauce, sugar and honey.
Cook until beef is the way you like it.
Stir occasionally and add water if necessary.
Remove the medium layers of lemon grass stalk before serving
Serving Instructions
Serve over white rice. Garnish with peanuts and thin slices of spring onion stalk.
I like mine with a Vietnamese chili-garlic sauce (Tuong Ot Toi Viet Nam: it's the
best hot sauce EVER- I sometimes use it in the recipe instead of the garlic and pepper). (The above notes are provided by the recipe
author)
Sources for Seeds & Live Plants
Shepherd's
Seeds - Sells small potted lemon
grass plant
Seedman - Sells lemon grass seeds
Morgan
Thompson Seed - Sells lemon grass seeds, ships worldwide
Mountain Valley Growers
- sells live plants
Medicinal
Uses and Related Information
Suite 101 - Lemon grass medicinal use
Nuoc Mam -
Read about this Vietnamese ingredient
Charmaine Solomon's
Encyclopedia of Asian Food
This comprehensive reference book provides
advice on buying, preparing, and storing ingredients, as well as explanations of Asian
cooking techniques and guide to special utensils. More than 500 recipes, including the
classic dishes of each country--are provided. 28 full-page color photos. 96 color
illustrations $27.96
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Recipes - Browse other recipes
from our files that use lemon grass.
Includes cassia bark, Chinese five-spice,
galangal, kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, Szechuan peppers and star anise. Available in
our online store Gourmetsleuth.com
Grow
Lemon Grass At Home
Seed Sources
Recipes
Propagate From An Existing Plant
Depending on the source, you can purchase lemon grass seeds or potted seedlings. If
you know someone who has a plant you can start your own from a bulb. Detach one or
more bulbs from the host plant. Place the bulb end in a rooting hormone powder
such as (Rootone) then
plant in a pot filled with vermiculite, moist
sand, or any seed starting material. Keep the medium most but not soggy. Another
method is to place the bulb end in a small container (such as a jar) of water and allow
the bulb to root. Then transplant. If your "benefactor" is very
generous you can divide a large "clump" of grass. Pot and keep moist until
you seen new growth. Then move to the garden.Germinate Seed
Morgan
Thompson Seed
Sow from late January to March on the surface of a good seed compost just covering the
seed with a thin layer of compost or vermiculite. Germination takes 21-40 days at 20-25C
(70-75F). Sealing in a polyethylene bag after sowing is helpful. When large enough to
handle, transplant the seedlings to boxes or 7.5cm (3in) pots. When well grown gradually
acclimates to outdoor conditions and plant out in late spring 30cm (12in) apart after all
risk of frost, in a warm, sheltered spot in full sun and moist, well drained soil. Keep
well watered and give the occasional liquid feed. To over winter, lift in early autumn,
pot up and grow through the winter in a greenhouse with a minimum winter temperature of 7C
(45F). Keep well watered throughout the summer, just moist through the winter.
Freshly picked Lemon Grass Stalk
Harvest
Pull a stalk up firmly close to the root end and snap it off. Best picked just prior
to using.
Cooking Tip
(Bruising)
"Bruising" is a
common term found in recipes that call for using lemon grass. This process releases the
flavor of the grass just as you would do with garlic. Simply press down on the bulb
end of the lemon grass with the side of a large knife (such as a Chef's knife) or pound
lightly with a kitchen mallet.
Our Thai Granite (Stone) Mortar and
Pestle is dark green and has a 7" bowl and an 7" pestle and holds about
2 cups. (Click on the photo for more information). The
perfect tool for grinding Thai
ingredients. Also available in 6", 8" and 9".
Substitutions & Equivalents
You can substitute fresh lemon zest, Sereh powder, as well as lemon balm or lemon verbena.
Equivalents
One small trimmed stalk = 1 Tablespoon dried
Powdered lemon grass is found under the name "Sereh powder" and a teaspoon is =
1 small stalk.
Zest of 1 lemon = 2 small lemon grass stalks
Other
Recipes
Chili Crab
Lemon grass Chicken Steak
Vietnamese
Stir Fried Chicken With Lemon Grass
Thai Prawn
Soup
View more recipes...
Nutrition
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