Lemongrass is most commonly seen used in tea, but it can also be incorporated into delicious meals. It has somewhat of a sour taste and pairs well with chicken, coconut, coconut milk, fish, pork, soups, and stews.
Cutting instructions: If you are making tea or a recipe, you want to primarily use the base of the stalks. Try to cut, twist, or break off a stalk as close to the ground as possible. Keep in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic for 2-3 weeks.
Additional harvesting info and video!
How to make lemongrass tea:
Grilled Lemongrass Chicken Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2– 2 1/4 lbs chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
Marinade:
- 2 stalks lemongrass (1/2 cup chopped)
- 1 medium shallot, rough chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, whole
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar (or alternative sweetener)
- 1 teaspoon Five-Spice powder or combination of cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and ground cloves (optional)
- 1–3 teaspoons Chili Garlic Sauce (optional, for heat)
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to Med-High.
- Thinly slice the white parts of the lemongrass stalks and place them in a food processor. (You do need to slice it first, otherwise, it will be stringy.) Add the garlic cloves and rough-chopped shallot. Pulse repeatedly until lemongrass gets broken down. Add oil, soy sauce, salt, sugar, Five-spice, and optional chili garlic sauce and process into a paste, scraping down sides as needed. Process for a couple of minutes, until lemongrass is really chopped up finely and it looks like a paste.
- Coat all sides of the chicken with the paste. You can do this ahead and refrigerate up to 48 hours. Or grill right away.
- Oil the grill well. Grill chicken over medium-high, or medium heat, until deep grill marks appear, 3-4 minutes. Then cook 3 more minutes, check for grill marks, then lower heat way down, cover with a lid, and cook all the way through.
- Serve over rice noodles with cucumber, mint, Thai basil, and nuoc cham dressing. Or simply over rice. (Original Recipe)