If you’ve ever picked up a stalk of lemongrass and wondered, “What exactly am I supposed to do with this?”, you’re not alone!
Lemongrass may look a little unusual, but it is surprisingly easy to use. This wonderfully fragrant plant has a bright, fresh flavor that is citrusy without being as sharp or acidic as a lemon. It is especially common in Southeast Asian cooking and is delicious in soups, curries, stir-fries, marinades, rice dishes, and tea.
At BELL Garden, we love growing ingredients that encourage people to try something new in the kitchen—and lemongrass is a perfect example.
What Part of Lemongrass Do You Use?
The most tender and flavorful part is toward the bottom of the stalk, where the color changes from white to pale green.
Before using it:
Cut off the root end.
Remove any dry or tough outer layers.
Trim away most of the dark green upper leaves.
Use the white and pale-green portion for chopping, slicing, or mincing.
The upper green portion is tougher, but don’t automatically throw it away. It can be bruised and added to a soup, broth, or curry to infuse flavor and then removed before serving.
Two Easy Ways to Prepare Lemongrass
For soups, curries and broths: Cut the stalk into pieces about 3–4 inches long. Give each piece a good whack with the flat side of a knife or gently bend it to bruise the stalk. Bruising helps release the aromatic oils. Add the pieces to the pot while the dish cooks, then remove them before serving because the stalk remains fibrous.
For stir-fries, marinades and sauces: Peel away the tough outside layers and slice the tender lower stalk very thinly. You can also mince it finely or crush it into a paste with garlic, ginger, peppers, or other seasonings.
6 Easy Ways to Use Fresh Lemongrass
Add it to soup. Lemongrass is wonderful in chicken soup, vegetable soup, coconut milk soup, and Asian-inspired broths. Bruise one or two stalks and simmer them in your soup as it cooks.
Make a curry. Add bruised lemongrass to a coconut curry along with ginger, garlic, vegetables, chicken, shrimp, or tofu. Remove the large stalk pieces before eating.
Flavor chicken, pork or shrimp. Finely minced lemongrass makes an excellent marinade. Mix it with garlic, a little oil, soy sauce or fish sauce, lime, and a touch of brown sugar or honey.
Add it to a stir-fry. Very thinly sliced or minced lemongrass pairs particularly well with chicken, shrimp, mushrooms, peppers, onions, green beans, and other vegetables.
Infuse rice or broth. Bruise a stalk and place it in the pot while rice cooks. Remove it before serving. You can use the same trick when making chicken or vegetable stock.
Make lemongrass tea. This may be the easiest use of all. Chop a stalk into several pieces, lightly bruise them, and steep in hot water for about 5–10 minutes. Strain and enjoy it plain or add honey, fresh ginger, or a squeeze of lemon or lime.
Easy Lemongrass Tea
You’ll need:
- 1 stalk fresh lemongrass
- 2 cups water
- Honey, optional
- Fresh ginger, lemon, or lime, optional
Trim the lemongrass and cut it into several pieces. Bruise the pieces slightly with the side of a knife. Bring the water to a boil, add the lemongrass, reduce the heat, and simmer or steep for about 5–10 minutes.
Strain into mugs and sweeten with honey if desired.
Try adding a few slices of fresh ginger for an especially fragrant cup.
What Flavors Go Well With Lemongrass?
Lemongrass plays especially well with garlic, ginger, coconut milk, lime, chilies, cilantro, basil, chicken, shrimp, fish and tofu. Its citrusy-floral flavor is useful well beyond traditional Southeast Asian dishes.
Don’t be afraid to experiment. Add a bruised stalk the next time you make chicken broth, coconut rice, or vegetable soup and see what a difference it makes.
Can You Freeze Lemongrass?
Yes—and it freezes beautifully.
If you aren’t going to use your fresh lemongrass right away, trim and wash it, dry it well, and freeze the stalks in a freezer bag. You can freeze them whole, cut into sections, or mince the tender portion first.
For an especially convenient option, finely chop lemongrass and freeze small portions so you can grab what you need for a future soup, curry, or stir-fry.
One Last Tip
When you’re new to lemongrass, remember this simple rule:
Bruise it when you want to infuse flavor.
Slice or mince it very finely when you want to eat it.
Once you know that, lemongrass becomes a very easy ingredient to use.
Fresh lemongrass from BELL Garden can bring a little brightness to everything from soup to tea. We hope you’ll take some home, experiment, and discover a new favorite way to use it!