Lemongrassalso: ตะไคร้ · sả · serai

Origin

Native to Maritime Southeast Asia and India. Cultivated commercially across the tropics. The species used in cooking is Cymbopogon citratus.

What it tastes like

Lemon zest crossed with green tea, with a tannic finish. Aromatic and clean rather than sour.

How it's used

Pounded into Thai curry pastes. Bashed and steeped in tom yum. Stuffed into the cavity of grilled fish in Cambodia. Threaded through a chicken roast in Vietnam. The bottom 10cm of the stalk is the part that goes into food; the green leaves are used for tea.

Buying

Choose stalks that are firm and pale yellow at the base. Avoid stalks with browned or hollow ends. Bash with the back of a knife before cooking to release the oils.

Substitutes

A strip of lime or lemon zest plus a small piece of fresh ginger. Frozen lemongrass is fine for paste; the dried variety is essentially flavourless.

Storage

Refrigerated in plastic, 2 weeks. Sliced and frozen in small portions, 6 months. The bashed stalks freeze well whole.