Serai/Lemongrass: The Indonesian Aromatic Backbone

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus — serai in Indonesian) is the single most-used aromatic in Indonesian cooking after shallot and garlic. It appears in virtually every bumbu, every gulai, every soto, every pepes, every sambal goreng. The citral compounds (geranial and neral) provide a clean, citrusy, slightly floral aroma that is the olfactory signature of Southeast Asian cooking.

Only the LOWER 12-15cm of the stalk is used (the pale, tender portion below the first green joint). The outer 2-3 layers are removed (tough, fibrous). What remains is bruised (a single firm strike with the flat of a knife) for aromatic release in brothy preparations, or minced extremely fine for bumbu (the mincing must be very fine — lemongrass fibres that survive grinding create an unpleasant stringy texture in the finished paste).

Not yet written for this entry.

Not yet written for this entry.