In its Asian homeland, lemongrass is just as common a spice as parsley or chives in this country. The fine aroma goes well with many dishes and gives them an exotic touch. Since lemongrass has a hard, fibrous structure, it is unsuitable for direct consumption. You can find out how to prepare and prepare the Asian herb for eating, along with other interesting facts, in this article.

Lemongrass tastes best freshly harvested

Lemongrass is no longer an unknown exotic species and you can get the fresh herb in any well-stocked supermarket. In Asian stores you can buy frozen lemongrass under the name Sereh. Dried lemongrass is also available here. However, since lemongrass loses a lot of its lemony, spicy aroma as a result of the drying process, we recommend using fresh or frozen goods. Lemongrass, which you cultivate at home and only harvest fresh before preparing the food, is particularly tasty.

use in the kitchen

Although all parts of the grass plant are edible and non-toxic, only the white parts and the lower thickening (bulb) 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 parts of the leaf into very fine rings. Use a very sharp saw-toothed knife for this job as lemongrass is quite hard. Depending on your personal preference, you can also grind these fine lemongrass slices in a mortar.

Always cook lemongrass

The edible lemongrass only unfolds 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. The advantage of this is that you can sift the tough stalks out of the dish when serving and don't have to chew on small lemongrass shavings. To ensure that all essential oils escape, we recommend that you also crush the opened stalks with the back of a knife or the flat iron.

Little known: Lemongrass is a mild natural medicine

The green leafy parts of lemongrass are far too good to be thrown away. You can prepare delicious lemongrass tea from the chopped stalks. Well chilled, the drink is refreshing on hot summer days. However, this tea is also a very good home remedy for summertime gastrointestinal diseases, because it has an antispasmodic, analgesic and antimicrobial effect.

tips and tricks

The aroma of lemongrass also goes well with traditional German dishes. For example, autumnal pumpkin soup gets a pleasantly sour, Asian note by cooking some lemongrass stalks.

SKb

Category:

Herbs