Lemongrass tastes best freshly harvested
Lemongrass is no longer an unknown exotic and you can get the fresh herb in every well-stocked supermarket. In Asian stores you can buy frozen lemongrass under the name Sereh. Dried lemongrass is also offered here. Since lemongrass loses much of its lemony and spicy aroma during the drying process, we recommend using fresh or frozen goods. Lemongrass, which you cultivate at home and only harvest fresh before the food is prepared, is particularly tasty.
also read
- How is lemongrass properly stored?
- Lemongrass can be kept for a long time by drying
- How does lemongrass have to be overwintered?
Use in the kitchen
Although all parts of the grass plant are edible and non-toxic, only the white parts and the lower bulbs of the stems are used for cooking. Remove the outer, very fibrous leaves of the leaf cluster and cut off the dark green leaf parts before preparation.
Then cut the bulb and the white leaf parts into very fine rings. Use a very sharp knife with saw teeth for this job, as lemongrass is quite hard. Depending on your personal preference, you can also use a mortar to grind these fine lemongrass slices.
Always cook lemongrass as well
The edible lemongrass only develops its full aroma if you cook it for a long time. Asian housewives break the freshly harvested stalks several times and add them directly to the food. This has the advantage that you can sieve the tough stalks out of the dish when serving and not have to chew on small lemongrass shavings. To ensure that all essential oils escape, we recommend that you also squeeze the opened stems with the back of a knife or a flat iron.
Little known: Lemongrass is a mild natural medicine
The green leaf parts of lemongrass are far too good to be thrown away. You can prepare delicious lemongrass tea from the crushed stalks. Well chilled, the drink is refreshing on hot summer days. This tea is also a very good home remedy for summer gastrointestinal diseases, because it has an antispasmodic, analgesic and antimicrobial effect.
Tips & Tricks
The aroma of lemongrass also goes perfectly with traditional German dishes. For example, autumn pumpkin soup gets a pleasantly sour, Asian touch with some lemongrass stalks that are cooked with them.
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