Lemon grass
An herb with long, thin, gray-green leaves and a woody scallionlike base with a sour-lemon flavor and fragrance. Citral, an essential oil, gives lemon grass its sour-lemon flavor and fragrance. The tender inner core is chopped, like scallions, and used in Thai and Vietnamese dishes. The tough outer parts can be used to flavor soups and teas.
Ethnicity
Asian
Season
available year-round
How to select
Choose blemish-free green stalks with white roots. If leaves are dried out, there won't be much flavor.
How to store
Keep fresh lemon grass in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in plastic bag up to two weeks.
How to prepare
Use only the bottom 4 inches of the stem (up to where the leaves begin to branch)
Matches well with
chicken, fish, pork, shellfish, soups
Substitutions
1 tsp freshly grated lemon rind for 1 tsp lemongrass