Lemongrass — season, tips, and recipes in New Zealand
Lemongrass is a herbs available in New Zealand during . This page is a practical guide for home cooks: when to buy lemongrass, how to pick a good one, how to store it, what it goes well with, three original recipes, and detailed nutrition information.
Available in Asian grocery stores year-round. Can be grown in a sheltered sunny spot in Northland and Auckland. The flavour is in the lower 10cm of the stalk.
How to pick a good one
Stalks should be firm, pale yellow-green at the base, with a strong lemony fragrance when bruised. Avoid dry or brown stalks.
How to store it
Fridge for 2-3 weeks. Freeze whole and grate from frozen. Keeps for months frozen.
Goes well with
coconut: Lemongrass and coconut is a foundational Southeast Asian combination. The aromatic citrus notes of lemongrass cut through coconut's richness and create the flavour signature of Thai and Vietnamese cooking.
ginger: Both are aromatic and sharp. Lemongrass's citrus notes and ginger's warm heat are used together in Thai curry pastes because they cover different parts of the aromatic spectrum.
chilli: Lemongrass's aromatic freshness and chilli's heat are used together across Southeast Asian cooking. The combination provides aromatic complexity alongside heat.
lime: Lemongrass and lime share citrus aromatic compounds and amplify each other. Together they provide the bright, clean acidity that Thai and Vietnamese cooking depends on.
fish sauce: Lemongrass's fragrance and fish sauce's deep umami are used together in Southeast Asian marinades and sauces. The herb's aromatic freshness lifts the fish sauce's intensity and makes the combination smell better than fish sauce alone.
Recipes
Lemongrass & Coconut Soup (Tom Kha)
Thai-inspired. Fragrant, creamy.
Ingredients: 2 stalks lemongrass (bruised), 400ml coconut milk, 300ml stock, 200g chicken or tofu, thumb galangal or ginger, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 lime, chilli
Method: Simmer lemongrass, galangal in stock 10 min. Add coconut milk and protein. Cook 5 min. Season with fish sauce and lime. Top with chilli.
Lemongrass Tea
Calming, digestive.
Ingredients: 2 stalks lemongrass (bruised, sliced), boiling water, honey
Method: Put lemongrass in a teapot. Pour over boiling water. Steep 5 min. Strain. Add honey.
Lemongrass Paste
Freeze in cubes for instant curry base.
Ingredients: 6 stalks lemongrass (sliced), 4 cloves garlic, thumb ginger, 2 chillies, 2 tbsp oil
Method: Blend everything into a paste. Freeze in ice cube trays. Pop one out whenever you're making a curry or stir-fry.
Nutrition
Contains citral, a compound with antimicrobial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. Used in traditional medicine across Southeast Asia as a digestive aid and fever reducer. Contains small amounts of folate, magnesium, and zinc. The nutritional value is primarily in its bioactive essential oils rather than vitamins.