Lemongrass recipes are surprisingly diverse and this traditionally Asian ingredient has found its way into dishes from diverse cuisines around the world.
We give you a round up of lemongrass recipes, which you’ll need if you’re growing lemongrass in your tropical or subtropical garden.
Some people even grow lemongrass in their gardens in cooler climates, overwintering it indoors or in a greenhouse, but we can grow abundant lemongrass here in the tropics year-round.
Lemongrass certainly is a prolific tropical food plant or herb.
Lemongrass grows fast, in huge clumps, so when you harvest the lemongrass stalks, you’ll have a bumper crop to deal with. It adds flavour to all kinds of tropical vegetable dishes.
We tried to find recipes where lemongrass was the real hero, the stand out ingredient. We hope you enjoy browsing these lemongrass recipes.
Types of Recipes That Use Lemongrass
Lemongrass, unsurprisingly, tastes of lemon and can be used to add citrus-style brightness in cooking, teas, preserves, and toiletries.
Lemongrass stalks are tough and fibrous, so if the lemongrass itself is to be consumed it must be smashed, pounded, and pulverised into a paste or chopped very. finely. This happens in Thai curry pastes.
When lemongrass stalks are added to soups, such as tom kha or bun bo Hue, the stalks are used for flavouring only and are left behind in the soup bowl after eating.
- Lemongrass appears in the curry pastes of various Thai curries, particularly in khao soi.
- Lemongrass is also used in Thai soups such as tom kha gai.
- Lemongrass appears in Vietnamese cooking, notably in Bun Bo Hue and sometimes in rice paper rolls.
- Lemongrass is a key ingredient in Cambodian curry pastes or kroeung
- Lemongrass is also widely used in food in Laos
- Lemongrass is made to make tea in many parts of the world and is said to have health benefits
- Lemongrass adds perfume to soaps, candles, oils and more.
Is Lemongrass a Herb or Spice?
Yes, lemongrass is a herb, and yes, lemongrass is a spice. A herb is any part of a plant used to add flavour to food or used in medicine or fragrance. The botanical definition of a herb is any plant that does not have a woody stem and that dies down to the ground after producing flowers and seeds. So lemongrass is not a botanical herb, it is a perennial grass, but it is used to add flavour or scent to recipes.
Is lemongrass a fruit?
Lemongrass is the stem of a grass, so it is not a fruit. Lemongrass plants do produce seeds, similar to those of most grasses. The very base of a lemongrass stem is used in cooking, the blades of lemongrass are used in teas more often. Lemongrass is nothing to do with citrus fruits but it’s scent and flavour are somewhat similar to lemon, without the acidity.
Lemongrass Recipes
Lemongrass recipes, recipes that use lemongrass
Khao Soi is a Thai curry noodle soup which uses a lot of lemongrass as its base.
