?lemongrass?

[frogprincess]

the recipes called for '1 stalk of lemongraa, outer leaves and tough green tops removed, root end trimmed, and stalk finely ground'. so i start peeling away the outter leaves and i keep peeling and trying to get to the stalk but there did not seem to be one. i just ended up finely chopping the leaves and it seemed to work, but next time i want to get it right. HOW???

thanks ; )

[Bicycle Lee]

I think you got it right... it would seem that there would only be one layer of tough outer leaves, so I wouldn't worry about peeling away to find something that looks totally different...

[Schneier]

Sounds right to me, too. I recently saw lemongrass growing by the roadside in the Seychelles, and it looked like the few outer rings of leaves were the tough ones.

Bruce

[aidensnd2]

You just want to get rid of the root, the green and the outermost layer of leaves. You should be left with the white-ish part in the lower portion of the stalk.

[Mudpuppie]

Every time I've grown it, it's been tough -- no matter how many outer layers I remove.

I finally learned to slice/chop it fine enough so that the fiberousness (?) didn't matter.

Edited March 22, 2004 by Mudpuppie (log)

[JennotJenn]

Every time I've grown it, it's been tough -- no matter how many outer layers I remove.

I finally learned to slice/chop it fine enough so that the fiberousness (?) didn't matter.

I've also found that some earnest mashing about with mortar and pestle (in addition to fine mincing) helps, too.

[Big Bunny]

Lemongrass is basically tough, but if it is reasonably fresh, the inner layers will be noticeably moist and fragrant.

As JennotJenn says, lemongrass is one of the ingredients which responds better to a mortar than to a blender.

BB

[Carlovski]

I'd agree, unless you get it super young and fresh, even the innermost leaves are still pretty tough!

[bleudauvergne]

I recently had some Tom Ka Gai at a Thai restaurant and it came to me with large twiggy sharp shards of lemongrass throughout. Yikes. It was the first time I had experienced that. I'd like to know if it's common practice in Thailand to leave the lemongrass in the soup to serve and if the practice of removing the lemongrass before serving is a western convention. Thanks.

[chromedome]

A fine microplane grater works pretty well...

[Toliver]

I realize this is probably heresy to suggest this on eGullet, but you can buy pre-ground/pre-grated lemon grass in some Asian markets. I work with a woman from Vietnam who cooks a lot of Asian dishes and she says the jarred stuff is good and saves a lot of prep time.

She said she also puts it in the freezer between uses (like people freeze ginger).

Just a thought...

[pim]

I recently had some Tom Ka Gai at a Thai restaurant and it came to me with large twiggy sharp shards of lemongrass throughout. Yikes. It was the first time I had experienced that. I'd like to know if it's common practice in Thailand to leave the lemongrass in the soup to serve and if the practice of removing the lemongrass before serving is a western convention. Thanks.

It is quite a common practice to leave large pieces of aromatics such as lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves (that are not intended for eating) floating in a soup.

When I do it, I usually leave REALLY large chunks to discourage accidental consumption.

[JennotJenn]

I realize this is probably heresy to suggest this on eGullet, but you can buy pre-ground/pre-grated lemon grass in some Asian markets. I work with a woman from Vietnam who cooks a lot of Asian dishes and she says the jarred stuff is good and saves a lot of prep time.

She said she also puts it in the freezer between uses (like people freeze ginger).

Just a thought...

I'll buy some and try it out in the name of science.

Our supermarkets here don't carry it fresh (or at all, really...Whole Foods carries the jarred), and the nearest Asian grocery that does carry it is a 20 min drive away. Not always convienient.So I'll get some for those times that I don't feel like driving 20 min for lemongrass.

[hannahcooks]

I usually use the method from A New Way To Cook to make lemongrass essence- slice the lemongrass, dry the lemongrass in the oven, and then grind in a spice grinder. It's handy to have on hand since none of my walking distance groceries carry it, and is wonderful in iced tea.

Edited March 25, 2004 by hannahcooks (log)

[JennotJenn]

I usually use the method from A New Way To Cook to make lemongrass essence- slice the lemongrass, dry the lemongrass in the oven, and then grind in a spice grinder. It's handy to have on hand since none of my walking distance groceries carry it, and is wonderful in iced tea.

OK, so now I have some experimenting to do to see how the jarred and dried compare to fresh. I'm going to buy fresh lemongrass, prepare some the usual way and then reserve some for the method you describe. While at the Asian market, I'll also buy the jarred stuff, more than one brand if I can find it (can anyone recommend a good brand---then I'd only buy one---otherwise I'm afraid I'll pick the one dud brand in the store). What shall I make for my experiment? I need something where the flavor is very predominant, I think, then maybe something where it's more of an undertone. Maybe one where the lemongrass is cooked with the dish and another where it's left "raw", too.

Any ideas? Maybe it's because I've been stuck at home bored out of my mind with a delightfully dizzying round of sinusitis, but I'm disturbingly excited about this experiment.