Northland
Russell Fransham just loves lemongrass
For those of us who love Southeast Asian and Indian cuisine, lemongrass ( Cymbopogoncitratus) is an essential ingredient
It grows well here in the north, in a frost-free spot. But (gripe alert!) the so-called lemongrass plants that have been grown from seed and are for sale in many New Zealand nurseries these days are not the real thing. Someone at the wholesale end of the supply chain has their wires crossed, because these are actually a different species of cymbopogon, commonly known as citronella grass. They have purplish-red leaf bases and skinny leaves, and don't form the juicier, plump, white bases of true lemongrass. Nor is the flavour as lemony as the real thing. Citronella grasses ( Cymbopogon nardus or Cymbopogon winterianus) are the source of the insect-repellent oil citronella and can be used to make tea and as an antiseptic and antibiotic with similar properties to tea tree oil. This oil is widely used in aromatherapy too.
Citronella grasses can grow up to 2m tall and make handsome aromatic landscape plants in warm-weather gardens. Their volatile oils are released by their own movement in the wind or when they‘re brushed against by passersby.
The “real” lemongrass we grow here doesn’t produce flowers or seed like the citronella grasses do.
It forms a perennial clump about 80cm tall with a powerful lemony fragrance. Only the peeled base of each shoot is used in cooking. It‘s either minced or very finely chopped to add to spice pastes, or bruised then coarsely chopped to add to soups like the popular Thai tom yum. These chunks are put to the side of the bowl during the meal as they‘re far too fibrous to chew. If I’m making a Thai dish, I often sprinkle the finely shaved rings of the white shoot into sizzling hot oil along with the ginger, lime leaves and garlic so they all flavour the oil from the start. If lemongrass is finely sliced it doesn‘t need to be removed later.
Lemongrass combines to create the unique flavour base of many Thai and Vietnamese dishes.
Its combination with garlic, chilli, brown sugar, lime juice, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce and coriander is especially delicious with seafood in my homemade version of the hot and sour Thai soup tom yum goong. It combines chopped birds‘ eye chilli, lime juice and lime zest, garlic, galangal, fish sauce and lemon grass, topped with fresh coriander. At the end, I add pieces of hoki and/or lightly steamed clams from the estuary, as well as their salty juices. It makes a refreshing summer lunch or an entrée to tickle the tastebuds.
The chopped green leaf blades also make a delicious fragrant tea, much like citronella tea but with a more lemony taste. In India it‘s a common practice to add chopped lemongrass leaves to chai tea to make it spicy and refreshing.
Lemongrass is frost tender, so if your garden gets that cold, you’re best to grow it in a pot.
Then you can move it into a sunny porch or hothouse for the winter. In the garden, the plants need loose, crumbly soil with plenty of humus and steady moisture all summer.
The plump white bases of the shoots can be washed and trimmed to be frozen for winter use if your plant won’t survive outdoors. In this case, you can propagate small plants by planting individual trimmed shoots into a small pot for the windowsill in autumn, so you can start over when spring arrives.
There are many claims as to the health benefits of lemongrass.
Regular use is thought to promote a healthy digestive tract, liver and kidneys, and it’s known to have a measurable effect on blood triglycerides and LDL cholesterol levels. It’s also used to treat chesty coughs and bronchial problems.
Centuries of use by practitioners of ayurvedic medicine in India attest to the healing properties of lemongrass, which is known by some as fever grass. Freshly juiced lemongrass is diluted and taken to reduce fever and inflammation. The pure oil of lemongrass is also mixed with coconut oil and rubbed on arthritic or damaged joints to relieve painful swelling.
But when it comes down to it, the flavour is lemongrass’s biggest selling point.
The fact that all the main Asian spices can be grown here and are available means that we potentially have access to the best fresh ingredients for the cuisines of the ancient cultures of Asia if we can provide them with frost-free conditions in a sheltered corner of the garden. But first, make friends with someone who knows how to cook these wonderful dishes!