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I grew up with the flavor of lemongrass in food. My favorite dish that my mom used to make is the shrimp with lemongrass. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. My dad used lemongrass as natural “scent” in the car. It worked. It smelled so fresh and lemony.
The idea of using lemongrass in cooking, though not new to me, but kinda scared me because I wasn’t not sure what to do with the stalks, especially when I just got married, kinda new at the kitchen, but missing all the comfort food from home. Lemongrass is actually a very versatile herb for cooking as well. They are not only good for flavoring the food, but they can be minced finely and included in the dish and be eaten. Kinda crunchy, but in a good way. My refrigerator always have lemongrass in stock. When I know I’m not going to be using them for a while, I put them in the freezer. They thaw quickly when you need them.
This pork with lemongrass soup is one of the example of using lemongrass to flavor up the soup. The lemongrass stalks are then discarded after cooking. They release great flavor when you “bruise” the stalk a bit to let the flavor out. I personally love this soup. It taste slightly sour from the tamarind, but not too much, just the right amount. Alternatively, you can always use white vinegar to add sourness to the soup too if you can’t find seedless tamarind. The soup almost tastes like tom yum, but much lighter and pack with great flavor from the lemongrass. Love it! So easy to whip up too! (that has been my goal lately) 😉
PORK WITH LEMONGRASS SOUP
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb boneless pork loin cut into 2-inch strips
- 3 stalks of lemongrass
- 6 shallots peeled and cut into half
- 10 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 tsp of turmeric powder
- 2- inch piece of seedless tamarind
- 4 cup of water
- Salt to taste
- 1 Tbsp of grape seeds oil or oil of your choice
Garnish:
- Small bunch of coriander leaves roughly chopped
Instructions
- Place the tamarind piece in a small bowl and add in about 1/2 cup of water and squeeze the tamarind with your hand to extract the juice. Set aside. Trim off 1-inch of the woody end on the bottom and the skinny stalks on top of the lemongrass stalks. Cut each stalk into half and smash them with heavy objects to release flavor
- In a large heavy-bottom pot, preheat the oil. Add in shallots, lemongrass, and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add in the pork strips and cook until they start to turn color. Add in 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and let it simmer until the pork is cooked through and tender, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and have a taste and adjust seasoning as needed
- When ready to serve, discard the lemongrass stalks, ladle the soup over serving bowl and garnish with some coriander leaves
