Lemongrass

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus), a native of India, is widely used in Thai and Vietnamese cooking. Lemongrass 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. Lemongrass (read more).

If you don't have lemongrass there are a few suitable alternatives:

• Substitute zest from 1 lemon for 2 stalks of lemongrass
• OR - For 1 lemongrass stalk use 1 teaspoon lemon balm
• OR  - 2 lemon verbena leaves