Great thankyou. I dont have any Lemon Myrtle but will try the lemon peel.
chef1964,
Sep 21, 5:05am
cool , i never knew that about lemon myrtle , thanks :)
davidt4,
Sep 21, 5:08am
Lemon verbena leaves would be a better substitute.Lemon peel is not suitable.
auckland63,
Sep 21, 10:54am
Grated lemon and ginger will do.
twelve12,
Sep 21, 11:36am
lemon grass is sold in little jars in most supermarkets.Look for an asian section.or it might be in with the masterfoods stuff :)
cookessentials,
Sep 21, 6:56pm
Lemon is perfectly suitable. Obviously, you are not going to get the same flavour as you would using lemon grass,but under the circumstances, the lemon peel will be adequate.
Quote from the Thai Grocer: "What to do if you can't find fresh lemongrass? Substitute 1 tablespoon of dried lemongrass for each fresh stalk. If dried isn't available, try several strips of lemon peel per stalk. Chefs warn, though, that the effect won't be quite the same, since lemongrass has a more subtle, delicate flavor than lemons or limes."
peter148,
Oct 1, 4:42pm
I would substitute lime juice for lemongrass
beaker59,
Oct 2, 3:58am
x1
Out of interest Lemon grass grows really well here in Auckland in fact I will take it out of my herb garden soon as the clump is just getting too big for the spot. Very tasty and useful too I always use heaps in my soups not just asian food. The green leaves make an awesome tea on thier own fresh from the garden.
davidt4,
Oct 2, 4:42am
Ours isn't quite that vigorous,but I find that it has a much stronger flavour and fragrance than the huge stems that are sold in Asian food markets.Maybe because it's fresher?
uli,
Oct 2, 5:10am
No - because it is another variety!
davidt4,
Oct 2, 5:17am
I don't think it is another variety uli.Our original plant came from a bucket of huge stems in the local Thai food shop (I found a stem that had a piece of root still attached) and it has been divided many times over the years, moved around, given away, and is responsible for many of the lemongrass plants in Auckland.
beaker59,
Oct 2, 5:17am
Yes thats what my Cambodian friend said too, hers also grows very well. I got mine at the garden center and have no idea what variety it is but I guess freshness has allot to do with it too. Certainly its awesome to have it growing only 15 paces from the kitchen bench :)
I have had the same clump going for 3 years and it is very productive and just keeps sprouting away at the base like bamboo it tried to flower once but I cut the flower heads off as I didn't want it selfseeding everywhere.
uli,
Oct 2, 5:24am
The original lemon grass that was in NZ 30 years ago is a clumping variety that never flowers. It has a very thick bulb and short wide leaves. It was hard to propagate (only from side shoots) - and you couldn't propagate big numbers.
So about 10 years ago someone started importing lemon grass seeds - which is another variety with much slimmer bulbs, long slim leaves and which will go to seed each year. The taste is much inferior and you lose lots of shoots to flowering.
So if you have the old variety then keep it beaker59 - divide it up and give some away to people who know the difference and will look after it - otherwise it will soon be extinct in NZ.
Even on the Avondale Market I have seen the seed variety for sale now - not a good sign!
beaker59,
Oct 2, 7:11am
I suspect mine is the seed variety in fact almost certain to be, as for inferior I wouldn't know as I have only frozen or dried to compare and as David so rightly said even an inferior species fresh will be better than dried. Probably why mine grows so well and David struggles with his the seed variet also clumps if mine is any indication.
Thanks for the info very interesting. My Cambodian friend did say it wasn't as good as they get back home.
uli,
Oct 2, 7:46am
Both varieties clump. If it flowers and seeds then you have the inferior variety. If it doesn't then you have the better one :)
macandrosie,
May 3, 1:45pm
you'll find lemon grass sold in jars in the asian cuisine section of the supermarket. Once the jar is opened, it's best to keep refrigerated, as you don't use much at a time.
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