If you like Thai, Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian food, chances are you like lemongrass. A tough, fibrous, aromatic tropical grass also known as citronella, lemongrass brightens soups and main-course dishes with its distinctive citrusy flavor. It is familiar to many in the incredibly popular Thai Coconut Soup (Tom Ka Gai). The problem for many non-Asian cooks is to figure out how to find it and how to prepare it.

Lemongrass adds a unique flavor to this dish of Mussels with Lemongrass Chile and Garlic. Photo credit: Photograph by Alan Benson for “Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart” by Pauline Nguyen (Andrews McMeel, 2008)

Finding lemongrass may be as easy as going to your local supermarket; many stores now stock it. Otherwise, Asian markets are a sure bet. When you find fresh lemongrass, stock up. You can keep it for several months in the freezer. Your supermarket is also likely to sell dried or jarred lemongrass in the Asian section, but it doesn’t hold a candle to fresh. Several Asian cookbooks indicate that frozen lemongrass is often sold in specialty markets; again, if you find it, stock up. You can also order fresh lemongrass online.

Preparing lemongrass can seem perplexing. The grass itself is over a foot long, and the part you want for cooking is the yellowish-white bulb. Using a sharp knife (this stuff is tough!), cut off the strawlike stem of the lemongrass above the bulb. You can use this part by hacking it into pieces and adding it to soups or broths for extra flavor, but you will have to remove it from the dish before serving; it’s too tough to eat. Then, prepare the bulb: Remove the toughest outer leaves. At this point, you want to use a heavy, sharp cleaver to chop the inner leaves of the bulb very finely.

Once it’s chopped, you can wrap lemongrass tightly in plastic wrap and freeze it. If the lemongrass that you have purchased is too dry and woody to chop finely, simply score the inner leaves of the bulb with a sharp knife. Remove it from the dish right before serving. Don’t worry. It will still impart its distinctive flavor.

The remarkable new cookbook “Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipe from the Heart” by Pauline Nguyen (Andrews McMeel, 2008) features several dishes with lemongrass. The book is also a memoir of the author’s life, from her escape from Ho Chi Minh City with her family in 1977, through a refugee camp in Thailand, to relocation in Australia. The recipe for Thai Coconut Soup is from “Complete Book of Thai Cooking” by Linda Stephen (Robert Rose, 2008).

Cook’s notes: Oyster sauce and fish sauce are now standard items in the Asian aisles of many supermarkets, but if yours doesn’t have them, try Asian-specialty stores. Bird’s-eye chili peppers are also sold as piri-piri or peri-peri peppers. If you can’t find them, substitute a habanero or Serrano pepper, or use dried hot red-pepper flakes to taste. Pickled chili peppers and lime leaves are sold in Asian markets. If you can’t find the former, substitute bottled hot cherry peppers. If you can’t find lime leaves, substitute lime zest. Galangal is a spicy, perfumed root not generally sold fresh in the United States. You can find frozen galangal in Asian markets, or substitute fresh ginger.

MUSSELS WITH LEMONGRASS CHILE AND GARLIC

1 pound fresh mussels

1 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 lemongrass bulbs, finely sliced

1/2 onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 bird’s-eye chili, stemmed and sliced

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce

1 teaspoon potato starch or cornstarch

1 teaspoon water

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 handful cilantro leaves

1/2 lemon, for serving

Rinse the mussels and, if necessary, pull off the tough strings or “beard.” Discard any mussels that don’t close tightly when tapped. In a wok set over high heat, combine the mussels and chicken stock, cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until mussels open. Discard any that do not open. Strain the mussels, reserving the cooking liquid.

Put the wok back over medium heat. Add the oil, and gently fry the lemongrass, onion, garlic and chili. Once golden, add the mussels and increase the heat. Toss with the oyster sauce and fish sauce, then add 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid. Mix the potato starch (or cornstarch) with the water, and toss it with the mussels to thicken the sauce. Season the mussels with sugar, salt and pepper, turn them out into a serving platter, garnish with the cilantro and squeeze lemon over them.

Yield: 1 to 2 servings

Recipe from “Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart” by Pauline Nguyen (Andrews McMeel, 2008)

LEMONGRASS AND CHILE CHICKEN

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

1 tablespoon superfine sugar

1 lemongrass bulb, finely chopped

1 teaspoon pickled chili or bottled hot cherry peppers

2 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 bird’s-eye chili, sliced

1/2 small white onion, peeled and cut into wedges

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 small handful cilantro leaves

cooked jasmine rice, for serving

Combine the fish sauce, sugar, half the lemongrass, pickled chili and garlic in a bowl. Mix well to dissolve the sugar, then stir the chicken pieces into the marinade, mixing well to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Place a large saucepan over medium heat, and put in the oil, remaining lemongrass and sliced chili. Fry until the lemongrass starts to brown, then add the chicken to the saucepan. Stir and sear on all sides, add the onion and continue to fry for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock, and cover; decrease the heat slightly, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, increase the heat and stir; reduce the liquid slightly, then turn out into a serving bowl. Garnish with the cilantro, and serve with jasmine rice.

Yield: Serves 4 as part of a shared feast

Recipe from “Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart” by Pauline Nguyen (Andrews McMeel, 2008)

CHICKEN COCONUT SOUP

2 cups coconut milk

1-1/2 cups chicken stock

3 bulbs lemongrass, cut into 1-inch pieces

8 thin slices galangal or ginger

10 lime leaves, or zest of 1 lime

3 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, thinly sliced

1-1/2 cups thinly sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms (about 4 ounces)

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar, optional

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh red chilies (optional)

In a large saucepan, combine the coconut milk, stock, lemongrass, galangal (or ginger), lime leaves (or zest) and shallots. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add chicken and mushrooms, and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, or until chicken is tender and just cooked through.

Remove from heat, and stir in lime juice, fish sauce and sugar, if using. Serve garnished with cilantro and chilies, if desired.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Recipe from “Complete Book of Thai Cooking” by Linda Stephen (Robert Rose 2008)

 

Marialisa Calta is the author of “Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the American Family” (Perigee, 2005). For more information, go to www.marialisacalta.com.