Basic Lemongrass Marinade Recipes

BASIC LEMONGRASS MARINADE

Steps:

• Process lemon grass, garlic and chili sauce until it turns into a fine paste.
• Combine paste and all other ingredients and mix well.
• Marinade is ready to use after sitting for about 1 minutes.
• Recipe yields enough marinade for 1-2 pounds of meat.
• You can save the tops of the lemon grass to season soups and stocks or you can steep it with your tea to make lemon tea.
• Simply put in zip-lock bag and freeze until needed.

CHICKEN SATAY LETTUCE CUPS

Steps:

• For the chicken and marinade: Combine the brown sugar, oil, turmeric, cayenne, coriander, cumin, garlic, lemongrass, onion and 1 tablespoon salt in a food processor and process to a smooth paste. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the marinade for the peanut sauce. Add the remaining marinade to a large bowl with the chicken and toss to combine. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, up to overnight.
• For the peanut sauce: Process the peanuts in a food processor until finely ground but not a paste. Transfer the peanuts to a medium saucepan and add the coconut milk, tamarind paste, vinegar, brown sugar, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup water and the reserved 2 tablespoons marinade. Bring to a boil over high heat. Immediately reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• For the toppings and serving: Place a fine-mesh sieve over a heatproof bowl near the stove. Process the garlic in a food processor until finally chopped but not a paste. Add the garlic to a medium skillet with the oil and set over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is light golden brown (be careful not to let it get too dark or it can become bitter), 4 to 5 minutes. Immediately pour the oil and garlic into the sieve and let drain, reserving the garlic oil. Spread the garlic on a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.
• Return 2 tablespoons of the garlic oil to the skillet (reserve the rest for another use) and add the peanuts. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the peanuts are heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and toss with the brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Let cool completely.
• Heat a 2-burner cast-iron grill pan over medium-high heat until evenly hot, about 10 minutes.
• Divide the chicken among twelve 10-inch bamboo skewers, packing the pieces close together. Grill, turning frequently with tongs, until the chicken is caramelized all over and cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Serve the chicken skewers with a platter of the tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce leaves and onions and bowls of rice. Serve the peanut sauce, crispy garlic and sugared peanuts in separate bowls for topping.

LEMONGRASS PORK PICNIC SANDWICH

Steps:

• For the pork and marinade: Whisk together the oil, brown sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, shallot and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add the pork chops and rub to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
• For the pickled vegetables: Meanwhile, combine the sugar, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over high heat. Remove from the heat and stir until the sugar and salt are fully dissolved. Add the vinegar and let cool for 10 minutes.
• Add the shallots, carrots and daikon to the saucepan and fully submerge, using a small plate to weigh them down if necessary, for at least 1 hour. (The pickled vegetables can be made up to a week in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container.)
• Heat a 2-burner cast-iron grill pan over medium-high heat until evenly hot, about 10 minutes.
• Remove the pork chops from the marinade and discard any excess. Grill until dark brown, charred in spots and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
• For the sandwich: Slice the boule in half horizontally. Remove some of the fluffy interior from both halves and reserve for breadcrumbs or another use. Spread the cut sides with the mayonnaise and sriracha. Layer the pork chops on the bottom half and sprinkle with the Maggi seasoning. Drain the pickled vegetables and layer them on top of the pork. Top with a layer of cucumbers, then jalapeños, then tomatoes. Fill the top half of the boule with the cilantro, then carefully flip to close the sandwich. Wrap the sandwich tightly in aluminum foil and refrigerate with a cast-iron skillet on top. Add a few jars of whatever is already in your refrigerator to the skillet to help weigh it down. Let sit for at least 2 hours, up to overnight, for the flavors to marry.
• Unwrap the sandwich and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Cut into 8 wedges.

LEMONGRASS MARINADE

Steps:

• Add lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and shallots through feed tube of a food processor with motor running. Process until very finely chopped. Add sugar, mirin, and fish sauce; process until pureed, scraping sides as needed. With motor running, slowly add oil; process until incorporated.

LEMONGRASS CHICKEN

Steps:

• Mix chicken, fish sauce, and honey together in a bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat; swirl in oil. Add red bell peppers, lemongrass, ginger, and garlic; cook until red bell pepper strips tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken mixture; saute until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 5 minutes.
• Stir green onions, chicken broth, sugar, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper into the wok. Simmer, uncovered, until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.

LEMONGRASS CHICKEN MARINADE

Steps:

• With a pestle & mortar crush together the lemongrass, garlic, ginger and chili together into a paste, then stir in the other ingredients. A mini-food chopper can be used instead or simply mince all ingredients very well by hand and combine in a small bowl. Pour marinade over the chicken, stirring well to coat the meat. Cover and set in the refrigerator to marinate at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

LEMONGRASS SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine the vinegar, sugar, water, fish sauce and lime juice in a small, nonreactive saucepan. Bring just to a boil; then, add the lemongrass and the lime leaf and simmer for 30 seconds.
• Remove from heat, and place the saucepan in a bowl of ice and water to chill it until it is room temperature, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in the cilantro, scallions and chilies to taste.