Lemongrass
Lemongrass is the bright, citrusy backbone of Thai and Vietnamese cooking, and it smells like lemon without a single drop of lemon in it.
What It Is
Lemongrass is a tropical grass native to Southeast Asia. The part you cook with is the pale lower stalk, where the oils are concentrated. The outer layers are woody and fibrous, so they flavor a dish but you don't eat them whole. Dried lemongrass has a quieter fragrance than fresh, which makes it well suited to long-simmered dishes where the flavor has time to open up.
It shows up across Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Sri Lankan cooking, often alongside ginger, garlic, and coconut milk. A little goes a long way.
What To Do
For soups, curries, and braises, crumble or roughly chop the dried stalks and add them at the start of cooking. Fish them out before serving, the same way you would a bay leaf. For tea, steep a small pinch in just-boiled water for about five minutes, then strain. It pairs naturally with ginger, lime, coconut, chicken, and seafood.
Store it in a sealed container away from light and heat. It keeps its flavor well when dried, but like any herb, it fades over time, so use it within a year for the best results.
