Group · Herbs & spices
Lemongrass
Lemongrass (citronnelle in French) is a tropical grass of which the fibrous base of the stalk is used. Its lemony scent comes from citral, the same molecule found in lemon zest, without the sourness. It shapes the flavour of Thai, Vietnamese and Indonesian cooking: tom kha, green curry, pork marinades.
In terms of nutrition facts: 99 kcal per 100 g, with 25.31 g of carbohydrate, 1.82 g of protein and 0.49 g of fat. It is rich in minerals on paper, with 723 mg of potassium and 8.17 mg of iron per 100 g. These values come from the USDA FoodData Central database, as the Ciqual table does not list lemongrass.
Macronutrient breakdown
Nutrition table per 100 g
| Calories | 99 kcal |
| Kilojoules | 414 kJ |
| Protein | 1,9 g |
| Carbohydrate | 25,4 g |
| Fat | 0,5 g |
Micronutrients per 100 g
All measured nutrients, ranked by share of the daily reference intake.
- Manganese5,22 mg261 %
- Iron8,17 mg58 %
- Potassium723 mg36 %
- Copper0,27 mg27 %
- Zinc2,23 mg22 %
- Magnesium60 mg16 %
- Phosphorus101 mg14 %
- Vitamin B20,14 mg10 %
See the other 7 nutrients
- Calcium65 mg8 %
- Vitamin B31,1 mg7 %
- Vitamin B10,07 mg6 %
- Vitamin B60,08 mg6 %
- Vitamin C2,6 mg3 %
- Selenium0,7 µg1 %
- Vitamin B50,05 mg1 %
USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy)
Tips
The stalk is not eaten, and that changes everything. Bruised to release its oils, it infuses in a broth or a curry and is then removed: the iron and potassium on the page stay in the stalk. Our recipe calculations count it as 0 g, in the same way as star anise or a bouquet garni.
The exception: the tender heart, finely sliced. The first five centimetres of the base, stripped of the outer leaves, are tender enough to be chopped very fine and eaten, which is how they are used in a Thai salad or a spring roll filling. You really do need to cut them small, as the fibres stay tough.
Bruise before infusing. A tap with the back of a knife on the stalk releases the essential oils; whole, it gives almost nothing. Allow one stalk for four people in a curry, two in a clear broth.
It freezes very well. Cut into pieces in a bag, it keeps its aroma for several months and can be used without thawing. It is the best answer to the fact that it is bought by the bunch and used one stalk at a time.
It goes with lean cooking. Steamed fish, king prawns or chicken poached with lemongrass, ginger and coriander need no fat to be tasty.
Sources
Average nutritional values per 100 g, provided for guidance only (may vary by brand, cut and preparation).
