Lemongrass Powder

Lemongrass Powder, Cymbopogon citratus, is also called lemon grass powder, dried lemongrass, or lemongrass seasoning.

Dried Lemongrass has an essential oil content of between .2% and .5%.
 

What is Lemongrass Powder

Lemongrass Powder is dried, ground Lemongrass. As with most dried herbs, your first choice should always be using fresh. But if you don't live in a larger city with Asian markets or ethnic grocery stores, then Dried Lemongrass is a pretty good alternative option. Dried lemongrass is popular in many Southeast Asian cuisines, adds an intriguing flavor, and works fine as a substitute for fresh in curries, pastes, soups and stews.
 

History of Lemongrass

Lemongrass is native to Maritime Southeast Asia islands (Brunei, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore). The history of lemongrass on the Malay peninsula predates the first European settlers to this region. It was first recognized in the early 1600s on both Java (home to roughly half of Indonesia's population) and the Philippines. The Dutch doctor Jacobus Bontius, who was in Java in the 1620s, wrote of the Javanese adding a small bundle of a highly aromatic grass called serai of Malay to dishes of boiled fish to enhance flavor. Serai means lemongrass in Malay (the national language of Malaysia is Malay). In 1635 the Spanish Jesuit, Juan Nieremberg, who was in the Philippines described this grass using the name "tanglad" which is still used to this day by the Tagalog and Visayan speaking people in the southern portion of the Philippines. He wrote of the scent of the plant smelling of lemon flowers, only stronger. Cooked, it improves the taste of stale fish. After the World War I, Lemongrass was introduced to Central America, Madagascar, and South America. Today it has been naturalized throughout the tropics and subtropics worldwide. Lemongrass was introduced to the US in 1917.
 

Lemongrass Cultivation

The ideal temperature to grow lemon grass is 65-90°F, sowing temperature of 68-80°F and harvesting temperature is 86-93°F. Lemongrass has a high water requirement and where annual rainfall exceeds 100 inches, irrigation is not necessary. The grass is hardy and grows in variety of soil composition. It grows easily in loamy soil, alluvial soil (along riverbeds and coastlines) and sandy soil. Avoid growing on waterlogged soil or soil with poor drainage.

Lemongrass forms a tall, grassy clump 3 to 5 feet tall with simple, bluish-green leaves. The blades tend to be 18–36 inches long. Similar looking to ornamental grasses.

Depending on that particular growing season the first harvest can take place from 6 to 9 months after planting the slips (slips are shoots that have been sprouted from seed stock roots). Lemongrass can be harvested frequently during the active growing season, up to once every 3-4 weeks. The dried grass should have a good green color and show no signs of mold. Drying should take place as soon as possible either by drying in the sun or with a conventional dryer. Prolonged drying in the sun will cause loss of color and quality of aroma.

Lemongrass is commercially grown in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, India, and Southeast Asia.
 

Where is Our Dried Lemongrass From

Thailand.
 

What does Lemongrass Powder Taste Like

A bit tart and light with lemon and pepper notes along with mint and ginger undertones.
 

What is Dried Lemongrass Used For

Lemongrass is used primarily in Indonesian, Malaysian, Sri Lankan, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. This aromatic herb is also found in some Caribbean recipes, and its popularity in the US has grown rapidly in the last 15 years. It is commonly used in teas, soups, and curries. It is also suitable for use with beef, chicken, fish, and seafood. A key ingredient in many Asian dishes, Lemongrass is used in Thailand in various recipes in the same manner that we use parsley.

Some of the most popular recipes using Lemongrass are green prawn curry, nora pad (moo pork with bamboo shoots), pa no (grilled fish) and peanut sauce for satay.

We especially like to use this dried lemongrass powder in Asian inspired blends.

The light lemon flavor of lemongrass works well in combination with basil, chili powder, cilantro, cinnamon, cloves, coconut milk, galangal, garlic, ginger and turmeric.
 

Dried Lemongrass Substitution

Dried Lemongrass has a much longer shelf life than fresh, and you'll only need to use half as much dried for any recipe calling for fresh. A teaspoon of lemongrass powder is approximately equal to one stalk of fresh lemongrass.

If you're in a pinch, lime or lemon juice can be substituted for lemongrass, but you will not be able to fully replicate its particular qualities.



 

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