Stir-fry & noodle sauces

Lemongrass Paste

Finely blitzed lemongrass, shallot, garlic, ginger and red chilli, fried gently in oil with a little sugar. Fragrant, citrusy and mildly hot.

makes 29 cubes, about 12p each

Jump to recipe

Illustration of a bowl of Lemongrass Paste

Time: 30 min20 min prep · 10 min cook
Makes: 29 cubes
Cost per cubePer cube: 12p
Calories per cubeCalories: 41 kcal
A serving: 2 cubes
Spice

Ingredients

Batch size

cubes

8 stems (200g)lemongrass
4 (120g)shallots, roughly chopped
8 cloves (40g)garlic
30gfresh ginger, peeled
2 (20g)red chillies, roughly chopped
100mlrapeseed oil
15gsugar
4gsalt

Allergens: none of the 14 major allergens in the ingredients as listed. Check the labels on stock cubes, sauces and pastes, as brands vary.

Nutrition

estimated

	1 cube	2 cubes
Energy	41 kcal	82 kcal
Protein	0.3g	0.6g
Carbs	3.1g	6.2g
Fat	3.2g	6.4g
Fibre	0.4g	0.8g
Salt	0.14g	0.28g

Method

Step 1: Peel the tough outer layers off the lemongrass, trim off the root and dry green tops, and thinly slice the pale part.
Step 2: Blitz the lemongrass in a small food processor until finely chopped, then add the shallots, garlic, ginger, chillies and 2 tbsp of the oil and blitz to a fine paste, scraping down often.
Step 3: Heat the rest of the oil in a frying pan or wok over a medium-low heat. Fry the paste gently, stirring, until fragrant and just turning golden. Don't let it brown. (8 min)
Step 4: Stir in the sugar and salt for the last minute.
Step 5: Cool, then spoon into 15ml trays with some oil in each and freeze.

Use it for

2 cubesLemongrass chicken or pork: marinate with 1 tbsp fish sauce
2 cubesTofu, prawn or vegetable stir-fry
2 cubesVietnamese noodle bowls with nước chấm
1 cubeStirred into a chicken or vegetable noodle broth

Nutrition (estimated)
	kcal	protein	carbs	fat	fibre	salt
Per cube	41	0.3g	3.1g	3.2g	0.4g	0.14g
Per 2 cubes	82	0.6g	6.2g	6.4g	0.8g	0.28g

Cook’s notes

Fry straight from frozen in a hot wok or pan, or thaw for 15 minutes to use as a marinade.
There is no fish sauce in the paste, so it stays vegan; add it to the dish when you cook.
Frozen chopped lemongrass from Asian grocers saves the peeling; use 120g.
Always keep it frozen or in the fridge: garlic in oil must not sit at room temperature.

Use it for

Lemongrass chicken or pork: marinate with 1 tbsp fish sauce · 2 cubes
Tofu, prawn or vegetable stir-fry · 2 cubes
Vietnamese noodle bowls with nước chấm · 2 cubes
Stirred into a chicken or vegetable noodle broth · 1 cube

Freeze, reheat and serve

Freeze: Cool it within two hours, freeze it in 15ml ice-cube trays, then bag and label the cubes. It keeps for 6 months.
Use from frozen: Fry straight from frozen in a hot wok or pan, or thaw for 15 minutes to use as a marinade. Never refreeze thawed cubes.
A portion: 2 cubes is a serving: about 82 kcal.

Lemongrass Paste questions

Why fry the paste before freezing?

Gently frying takes the raw edge off the shallots and garlic and brings out the lemongrass, so the paste is ready to use. Keep the heat low so it softens without browning.

How much fish sauce should I add when I cook with it?

About 1 tbsp fish sauce for every 2 cubes, added with the meat or tofu. Use light soy sauce instead for a vegan dish.

Can I use lemongrass paste from a tube?

It works for a quick version, but tubes often contain vinegar and stabilisers, so the flavour is flatter. Use about 100g in place of the fresh stems and fry it for half the time.