The scientific name of lemon grass is Cymbopogon citratus Stapf. It is in the GRAMINEAE family. The other names that Thai people call lemon grass are Cha-khai in northern Thailand and Khrai in southern Thailand. Lemon grass originated in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, India, Thailand, and in South America.
Lemon grass is a short-cycled plant and considered part of the grass family, which grows together in a cluster and is quite easy to grow. The bush is about 4-6 feet tall or may be up to two meters. The actual trunk is approximately 4-7 cm, upright and has a short and relatively solid segment. The trunk of the tree is wrapped around with the leaf husk. Leaf husk is a long sheet and they stack over each other (so it seems hard). The leaves are lank and narrow, the lines on the leaf are parallel to the leaf stalk. The tip of the leaf has prickle hairs. Lemon grass leaves are rich in essential oils giving the trunk a fragrant smell. The lemon grass is a plant that has a flower which is difficult to bloom, similar to bamboo. But when it is time to bloom, the flower will bloom as a long bouquet and a lot of little and tiny flowers. Lemon grass is also a plant in which we can use the bulb part of the trunk for cooking. Lemon grass is also considered a medicinal herb too.
Lemon grass has a spicy and bitter taste. We use the rhizomes and old stems to be one of the recipe ingredients by cutting the stem above the ground about 1-2 inches to use. Thai people use lemon grass as a seasoning and flavoring in a variety of Thai foods. And they also use it as an important component of spices and curries such as Gang Ped (hot curry) curry paste and Gang Som (sour soup made of tamarind paste). It is also used as a key component of Nam Ya (chili sauce made of fish), Khao Yam Puk Tai (rice salad from the south of Thailand), Nam Phrik Ong (tomatoes chili sauce), Gang Tai Bplah (fish kidney curry), Nam Phrik Ta-Khrai (lemon grass chilli), etc.
Fresh lemon grass can also be used as components in Plaa (a dish of slices of seasoned raw meat or prawns) or Yum (Thai spicy salad), and it is an important component in Tom Yum (the hot and sour soup made with meat or fish boiled with slices of lemon grass stem). Lemon grass gives a pungent fragrant and somewhat hot smell. It can be used to cure and quench the fishy smell of fish and various kinds of meat very well. It will make the food taste better. Lemon grass oil that is made from lemon grass can be applied to the skin to repel the mosquito. Also, if planting lemon grass near the other kinds of vegetables it can act as a natural pesticide, keeping unwanted insects away.
Lemon grass is a short-cycled plant and considered part of the grass family, which grows together in a cluster and is quite easy to grow. The bush is about 4-6 feet tall or may be up to two meters. The actual trunk is approximately 4-7 cm, upright and has a short and relatively solid segment. The trunk of the tree is wrapped around with the leaf husk. Leaf husk is a long sheet and they stack over each other (so it seems hard). The leaves are lank and narrow, the lines on the leaf are parallel to the leaf stalk. The tip of the leaf has prickle hairs. Lemon grass leaves are rich in essential oils giving the trunk a fragrant smell. The lemon grass is a plant that has a flower which is difficult to bloom, similar to bamboo. But when it is time to bloom, the flower will bloom as a long bouquet and a lot of little and tiny flowers. Lemon grass is also a plant in which we can use the bulb part of the trunk for cooking. Lemon grass is also considered a medicinal herb too.
Lemon grass has a spicy and bitter taste. We use the rhizomes and old stems to be one of the recipe ingredients by cutting the stem above the ground about 1-2 inches to use. Thai people use lemon grass as a seasoning and flavoring in a variety of Thai foods. And they also use it as an important component of spices and curries such as Gang Ped (hot curry) curry paste and Gang Som (sour soup made of tamarind paste). It is also used as a key component of Nam Ya (chili sauce made of fish), Khao Yam Puk Tai (rice salad from the south of Thailand), Nam Phrik Ong (tomatoes chili sauce), Gang Tai Bplah (fish kidney curry), Nam Phrik Ta-Khrai (lemon grass chilli), etc.
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Fresh lemon grass can also be used as components in Plaa (a dish of slices of seasoned raw meat or prawns) or Yum (Thai spicy salad), and it is an important component in Tom Yum (the hot and sour soup made with meat or fish boiled with slices of lemon grass stem). Lemon grass gives a pungent fragrant and somewhat hot smell. It can be used to cure and quench the fishy smell of fish and various kinds of meat very well. It will make the food taste better. Lemon grass oil that is made from lemon grass can be applied to the skin to repel the mosquito. Also, if planting lemon grass near the other kinds of vegetables it can act as a natural pesticide, keeping unwanted insects away.
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