Lemongrass

Wholesale Lemongrass

Lemongrass is the backbone aromatic of Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian and Malaysian cooking, and increasingly of bar and beverage programs looking for citrus aroma without citrus acid. It is a grass, not an herb in the soft-leaf sense, and it is bought and handled accordingly.

Selection

Look for firm, heavy stalks with a pale, tightly packed bulb and no drying or splitting at the cut end. The usable part is the lower four to six inches; above that the stalk is fibrous and only useful for infusing. A stalk that flexes easily or feels light has dried out and will give almost nothing.

Storage

Lemongrass is unusually durable for an aromatic. Refrigerated at 34–40°F, wrapped to prevent moisture loss, it holds two to three weeks. It also freezes exceptionally well — whole stalks can be frozen and used directly from frozen with no meaningful loss, which makes it one of the few fresh aromatics worth buying ahead.

How to Prep It

Trim the root end and the dry top, peel the tough outer layers, and use the tender core. For curry pastes and marinades, slice the core thinly across the grain first, then pound or blend — lemongrass fibers are long and will not break down otherwise. For soups, teas and infusions, bruise whole stalks with the back of a knife and remove them before serving.

Where It Belongs

Tom yum and tom kha, curry pastes, marinades for grilled meat and seafood, coconut braises, syrups, iced teas and cocktails. It pairs naturally with ginger, galangal, chili, lime leaf and coconut.

Nutrition

Lemongrass provides small amounts of iron, potassium and manganese in culinary quantities. Fat free, cholesterol free and sodium free.

Order Lemongrass Wholesale

Tell us your volume, pack and delivery city and we will confirm current availability, sizing and pricing. Reach our Miami or Los Angeles desk through the contact page. Packs, counts and origins change with the season, so ask our sales team for this week’s specs.