Caramelized Lemongrass Marinade Recipes

VIETNAMESE LEMONGRASS CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine the lime juice, fish sauce, maple syrup, oil, soy sauce, black pepper, garlic, lemongrass and shallot in a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth.
• Combine the chicken and marinade in a large bowl. Toss until the chicken is evenly coated. Cover the bowl and let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. (If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 15 minutes before using.) Thread the chicken evenly onto the skewers.
• Once the grill is hot, place the chicken kabobs evenly on the grill. Cook for 10-14 minutes, turning once halfway through, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through (no longer pink on the inside).
• Transfer the kabobs to a clean plate, and loosely tent with aluminum foil. Let the chicken rest for at least 5-10 minutes.
• Then serve warm while the chicken is hot and juicy, sprinkled with an extra squeeze of fresh lime juice (plus some thinly-sliced green onions) if desired. Or, refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

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.

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.

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.

CARAMELIZED LEMONGRASS CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Remove skins and extra fat from chicken.
• Remove the outer leaves from the lemongrass, cut into 1 inch pieces, and pound until somewhat flattened with a meat tenderizer.
• Crush garlic and blend with lemongrass, fish sauce, sugar, and pepper.
• Add chicken and toss to coat well; marinate 3-4 hours.
• If needed, you can marinate for 15 minutes and cook- the flavor will be less intense, but it will still work if you're in a hurry.
• Remove chicken from marinade (but save the marinade).
• Heat oil in a pan with a tight-fitting lid.
• Brown the chicken in the oil (~10minutes).
• Pour the remaining marinade into the pan, and add enough water to just cover the bottom of the pan (there should be 1/4 inch or less of liquid - it needs to simmer off, or else the chicken won't caramelize).
• Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover tightly and simmer until the chicken is tender, turning occassionally (about 30 minutes).
• Stir lemon juice into sauce, and stir to coat chicken.
• Serve hot.

CARAMELIZED LEMONGRASS MARINADE

Steps:

• Heat the sugar and 2 tablespoons of the water in a small saucepan over medium heat and simmer until the sugar starts to caramelize (the liquid will turn a slight yellowish color). At this point insert a metal teaspoon into the liquid and remove to let cool. The liquid on the spoon should become sticky and slightly yellow.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of water and the rest of the ingredients and remove from the heat. Let the marinade cool before applying it to the meat.

CARAMELISED VIETNAMESE SHREDDED BEEF

Steps:

• Mix Marinade in a bowl.
• Add shredded beef and mix. Set aside 5 minutes.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add about half the beef and spread out in single layer.
• Leave undisturbed until golden (about 1 minute). Flip then cook the other side just briefly (about 30 seconds) just to heat and get a touch of golden, then remove.
• Repeat with remaining beef.
• Serve over rice, using either limes or Nuoc Cham as the sauce, and garnishes of choice (I used them all in the photos!)

SPICY GRILLED LEMONGRASS MACKEREL

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the lemon juice, lemongrass, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, onion, cilantro and coconut milk. Mix well and season with salt and pepper. This mix can be made ahead of time and brought in a resealable plastic bag. Season the mackerel with salt and pepper. Place the mackerel into the marinade and marinate for 15 minutes. Remove the fish from the marinade and place on the grill, skin side up. Grill for 4 minutes per side, basting often with the marinade.

CARAMELIZED LEMONGRASS CHICKEN

Steps:

• 1. Mix the lemongrass, fish sauce, brown sugar and garlic together. Add the chicken and mix well and let marinate in fridge for at least 4 hours.
• 2. Add oil to a skillet. Add the chicken and cook 10 minutes turning them once. Add the marinade and bring to a boil
• 3. Reduce the heat to low and cook until chicken is done and the sauce is caramelized. Add the lemon juice and serve