How to Use Lemongrass

Lemongrass is a key ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine and can be a challenge to work with. Learn all the ins and outs on how to use lemongrass in this blog post. Get all the tips and tricks on how to cut, cook, and store lemongrass properly.

Lemongrass is such an important ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine. We use it to flavor everything from marinades to broths to salads. For me, it took me a long time and with a lot of guidance from my mom to figure out how to use lemongrass properly, so in this blog post, I want to share everything I’ve learned throughout the years. From dishes you can make to how to properly cut it, this comprehensive guide is all you need.

My experience with lemongrass

Lemongrass is a plant native to Southeast Asia, so naturally, so many Asian cuisines utilize it in their dishes. The 2 kinds of cuisines that utilize this ingredient the most is Vietnamese and Thai cuisine. And let me tell you, we love lemongrass in the Vietnamese community. Growing up, we’d always have tons of it on hand. We would use it in a variety of dishes from marinades to soups to sautes. If we can add lemongrass, we do, and it has since become one of my favorite ingredients to use in the kitchen.

Taste-wise, it has a grassy, citrusy flavor. When you buy it from the store, it comes as long stalks with a hard texture which can be a challenge to work with. Given its hard texture, lemongrass is most commonly used to flavor things like marinades or broths. It is then discarded at the end of the cook.

Where I usually buy lemongrass

Most lemongrass needs to be imported from Southeast Asian countries, so you will most likely find it at large Asian supermarket chains or on Asian grocery delivery services like Weee. It can be found in either the produce section or the frozen foods section. Since I live in LA, it is a lot more common, and I have found it at a few Western grocery store chains and even farmer’s markets. I expect this trend to continue as it grows in popularity.

Lemongrass is typically found in its original form – long stalks, but recently, I’ve found that it comes in various other forms as well. Sometimes it comes pre-minced in the frozen section, pre-cut into 2 inch pieces, in a paste, or even in powder form. Personally if I were buying lemongrass, I would always default to the fresh version because that will have the best flavor, but all these other forms work as well. If you buy frozen lemongrass or lemongrass powder, you might need to increase the amount you use to achieve the same flavor.

How to cut lemongrass

This is perhaps the most important section of this guide because cutting lemongrass can be a challenge for beginners. Below I go through 3 different ways to cut lemongrass. Make sure you have a sharp knife!

1) Minced lemongrass

Minced lemongrass is lemongrass that has been cut into very small pieces. This version is most commonly used for marinades. Some dishes utilizing minced lemongrass include lemongrass chicken, bun thit nuong, and lemongrass salmon.

Cutting Instructions

1. With the back of the knife, hit the lemongrass a few times to release the oils.
2. Cut off the bottom of the stalk.
3. Remove the outer layer.
4. Thinly slice the lemongrass into small coins.
5. Cut the thinly sliced lemongrass into smaller pieces. Hold the knife over the cutting board in a cutting position. Place your palm on top of the part of the knife closest to the pointy end. Move the knife up and down while moving it across the sliced lemongrass. Do this a few times until you get very small lemongrass pieces.

2) Lemongrass chunks (2 inch sticks)

Lemongrass chunks are when lemongrass are cut into 2 inch pieces, similar to the size of cinnamon sticks. This version is most commonly used for Vietnamese soups and stews like bun bo hue, Vietnamese chicken curry, and bo kho.

Cutting Instructions

1. With the back of the knife, hit the lemongrass a few times to release the oils.
2. Cut off the bottom of the stalk.
3. Remove the outer layer.
4. Slice the lemongrass into 2 inch sticks.

3) Thinly sliced lemongrass

Thinly sliced lemongrass is lemongrass that has been cut into thin, circular coins. This is the least common version of the 3 cuts. I’ve seen this form used in sautes and salads.

Cutting Instructions

1. With the back of the knife, hit the lemongrass a few times to release the oils.
2. Cut off the bottom of the stalk.
3. Remove the outer layer.
4. Thinly slice the lemongrass into small coins.

Tips on how to to cut lemongrass

Use a very sharp knife

As mentioned above, lemongrass is hard and stringy, so you need a very sharp knife to cut it. I highly recommend a chef’s knife or cleaver. Don’t use a bread knife or steak knife.

Hit before cutting for the best flavor

Lemongrass has oils that release once it has been hit a few times. I usually use the back of the knife and smack it a few times before beginning to cut it.

How to cook with lemongrass

Lemongrass is most commonly used as a flavoring agent for marinades and soups. If you’re using it in a marinade, I would recommend mincing it before throwing it in. In Vietnamese culture, we like to combine it with umami flavors like fish sauce and soy sauce then balance it out with some sweetness like sugar and honey. I have a lemongrass marinade that I use for pretty much all my meats. In addition to those mentioned above, some other dishes include com suon, bo la lot, and lemongrass beef banh mi.

If using lemongrass in soup, I would recommend using it in chunks, so it’s easy to fish out at the end. In addition to the dishes mentioned above, some other soups include tom yum soup and Thai curries.

How do you store lemongrass?

Lemongrass can be stored at room temperature or in the fridge. Personally, I like to keep it in the fridge, so it stays fresh longer. It should last up to a week in the fridge. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.

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