A new addiction in the making

I feel it only reasonable to confess that I may be developing an addiction to lemongrass. There are probably worse afflictions, especially since, according to Wikipedia (so it MUST be true), lemongrass has anti-fungal qualities, is used in Brazil in a tea to combat anxiety, and in India is used to help relieve coughs and nasal congestion. But if I do let my new addiction run riot and start putting lemongrass in everything, from chocolate puddings to bacon sandwiches, please someone do let me know. It's like when someone has toilet paper stuck to their shoe, it may be awkward to point it out, but just do it selflessly. Another reason to find me immediate medical assistance if this goes that far, is that lemongrass can also apparently be used as a lure to attract swarms of honeybees. Yikes. So for heaven's sake, save me from myself, should the need arise.

Lemongrass is apparently (thanks again Wikipedia) also known as Cymbopogon. Fair enough, if my name was Cymbopogon, then I would probably want to go by an alias too. It is also known as Barbed Wire Grass. If you are going to sell yourself as a delicious (pain-free and safe) foodstuff, then that isn't a great name either. I kind of figure that Barbed Wire Grass is probably a nickname introduced by one of the meaner spices on the rack (Cayenne Pepper, perhaps) to ruin Lemongrass's street cred. Anyway, suffice to say, we'll stick to Lemongrass and keep its good-spice reputation intact.

As I mentioned, I have been on a bit of a health-kick this week (in case any of you locals glimpsed me out in public eating pizza the other night, please know that this was a tiny blip in a week of virtuousness, honestly). Today's lemongrass fix is therefore in the form of a salad. I served it up alongside some couscous, so that those carb-obsessed members of my family would not scream warnings of impending famine, and it went down very well. We don't allow bowl-licking in this house, but dare I suggest that my well-behaved children would have licked plates and serving bowls clean, if it were permitted. The dog meanwhile did have a pretty good lick as all the plates went in the dishwasher, which is a worthy endorsement, I feel. And thus far, he has not received any unwanted attention from swarms of bees.

The original recipe came from a magazine... yes, again I was clearly overzealously clipping recipes and failed to note which magazine. My apologies to the originator. I did tweak it somewhat because I didn't have any sambal oelek on hand (I know, horrifying gap in my cupboard), and I found the dressing too sweet for my taste, so added more soy sauce than originally recommended to make it less so. And of course, I had to increase the quantities for my own personal swarm.

 

Lemongrass Chicken Salad
Serves 6

Dressing:
2 tsp minced lemongrass (I used the Garden Gourmet stuff in a tube, because sometimes it is hard to find fresh)
2 TBSP vegetable/canola oil
2 TBSP coconut oil (or more veg/canola oil, if you cant get this)
4 TBSP lime juice
4 tsp sugar
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Salad:
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 TBSP honey
4 TBSP chili sauce
6 cups sliced romaine lettuce
3/4 cup red bell pepper, cut into matchstick strips
3/4 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup chopped, roasted and salted cashews

1. To prepare dressing, add lemongrass to a small bowl with remaining ingredients, whisk together and set aside.
2. Mix together honey and chili sauce. Coat chicken breasts with the mixture, then cook on a well-oiled grill over medium heat for about 5 minutes each side, until chicken is cooked through.
3. Let chicken cool slightly and then cut into bite-size strips.
4. Toss romaine, bell pepper and carrot together in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over, toss slightly, then sprinkle with chicken and cashews.