Yum Takrai (Thai lemongrass salad) is one of the obvious applications of this ingredient in Thai cuisine and it can also be found in other traditional Thai recipes such as Massaman Curry, Tom Yum Soup or home-made Thai sausages.

Look for lemongrass that is firm and pale yellow-green with a bit of a bulb at the end. The top of the stalk should look relatively fresh; they tend to dry out quickly so they may not look like they were just harvested but they shouldn't be browned or sad looking.

India is the largest producer of lemon grass and about 80% of the produce is being exported.

Whenever possible, try to get fresh lemongrass for recipes. You can get by with lemongrass paste in a tube (it comes from Gourmet Garden in Australia and is usually hanging on display with ginger and garlic pastes), though dried lemongrass is not recommended.