Fresh lemon grass is a pain to track down and an even bigger pain to work with, which is why Vân Vân sourced the next best thing straight from Vietnam. Their single-origin lemon grass is grown and harvested by local farmers in Tiền Giang, a province in the Mekong Delta. It’s then dried using a cold-dehydration process that preserves as much of its flavor and fragrance as possible. All it needs is a quick soak in room-temperature water to plump back up, quickly transforming back into the aromatic, citrusy ingredient that’s central to Vietnamese cooking. We love that this product comes pre-sliced, which allows for close control over the final texture: Depending on the recipe, you can leave the slices as-is after rehydrating or mince them up. (You can also run them through a spice grinder while still dry to create a fine powder.) In flavor, texture and aroma, this is the best alternative to fresh lemon grass we’ve tried—and it’s even packaged in a resealable bag for foolproof storage. Net Weight/Volume: 0.7 ouncesIngredients: Delta Lemon GrassPlace of Origin: VietnamCare: To maintain its freshness, flavor and aroma, keep your lemon grass in a dry, cool area away from direct sunlight, heat and humidity. When properly stored, the lemon grass has a shelf life of one year.How to Use: One 0.7-ounce package of dehydrated lemon grass is equal to 3 ounces of fresh. To rehydrate, simply add dried lemon grass to a small bowl with an equal volume of water and let it bloom for one to two minutes. You can then substitute the rehydrated lemon grass for fresh in any recipe, like our Garlic Lemon Grass Chicken Wings, Vietnamese-Style Lemon Grass Tofu, Vietnamese Braised Lemon Grass Chicken or Vietnamese Beef Stew with Star Anise and Lemon Grass (Bò Ko).
