Lemon Grass

Lemongrass is the name given to a number of tough, stringy grasses native to South Asia, Australia , Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, and the list goes on.  The flavour of lemongrass is, unsurprisingly, lemony with some floral flavours as well.

The flavour and scent of lemongrass are due to several compounds; mainly citral, nerol, limonene, linalool.  I mention these compounds because if you have a copy of Harold McGee’s On Food and Cooking, there is a great chart where you can see many herbs and spices, and which compounds produce the primary flavours.  It’s a great way to find different pairings for some seemingly incompatible spices if you’re playing around in the kitchen.

Lemon grass can be purchased fresh, frozen, or dried and ground.  Fresh lemongrass is obviously best, with frozen a close second.  Ground lemongrass is pretty bad, but I do have some in the cupboard for

Frozen Lemon Grass

home made curry paste.  It lacks the punch of fresh, and is pretty bland.  It basically just tastes lemony and green.

You can store fresh lemongrass in the fridge for several weeks, or freeze it for a few months.  It is best kept in a bag, because if you leave it exposed it will dry out, like mine did.

Preparing lemongrass is simple, but there are a few things to note.  It is a grass, so it is very tough and stringy.  Peel off the dry outer layer or two to reveal a more tender core.  The colorless part, up to where it begins to turn purple has the most flavour, but if you are penny pinching you can use some of the ligter green bits.  To get the most flavour, slice across the grain of the fibers and crush with a morter and pestle, the side of a knife, or chop very finely.  If you intend on saving time by pureeing the lemongrass in a food processer, well, don’t.  The fibers won’t break down very easily if at all, and you’ll end up with a stringy mess.  The lemongrass fibers tend to resemble human hair when in cooked food, so that too can cause you some problems with your guests.

Lemongrass makes a nice tea or addition to tea, is a crucial ingredient in Vietnamese and Thai curries, and a great additive to Asian soups.  Save the dark green outer layers and dry lemongrass tops when trimming and slicing as they can be thrown into a pot of soup for flavouring.