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Meat & Poultry

Lemongrass Grilled Chicken And Pork Chops.

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Ginger and Lemongrass (say fever grass in the Caribbean) are two of my fav flavors for marinating meats, especially when playing on the grill. Arguably not a Caribbean recipe, but the closer you look at the ingredients in the maridane you’ll understand why I shared this recipe.

You’ll Need…

2 lbs chicken
2 lbs pork
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 /2 tablespoon veg oil
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2 scallions (chopped)
3 bird’s eye pepper (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 pimento pepper (chopped / optional)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped lemongrass
1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce

Notes! I recommend that you follow along with the video below, as much more about the recipe is discussed there, including the cuts of chicken and pork to use and how to cook indoors or outdoors on your choice of grill.

Create a marinade with everything mentioned in the ingredients list except the chicken, and pork. Please wear gloves when handling the peppers and wash your hands with soap and water immediately after. Use any spicy pepper you like and in the amounts you can tolerate.

In the video, I explained how to tap the lemongrass with the handle of your knife before chopping it. This will further bruise the stems to let out the fragrant oils within.

Since I was making a combination of chicken and pork, I placed them in a bowl and divided the marinade between them. Marinate for at least 2 hours before grilling.

About 30 minutes before my charcoal grill was ready, I took them out of the fridge to return to room temperature.

Grill over direct heat for 2 – 3 minutes on each side, then move them to cook for another 25 minutes with indirect heat (lid on). The cooking time will vary according to the thickness of the meats. The sugars in the marinade will want to burn or char quickly, so keep that in mind.

Basically, grill them the way you’d normally grill.

Serve with lime wedges or Hoisin sauce as a dip. Feel free to also brush on some Hoising a minute or 2 before you’re done grilling them. Slice and get ready to enjoy some of the best chicken and pork you’ve ever had.

Drinks

Lemongrass Tea (fever grass tea in the Caribbean).

1 Comment on Lemongrass Tea (fever grass tea in the Caribbean).

lemon grass tea (3)

I still recall mom always asking me to go get a piece of fever grass (lemon grass) from the old wash-tub she converted into a gardening pot, where we had a huge patch of lemon grass growing for as long as I could remember. In the dry season they would dry-down with a mound of dirt where the roots were , but with the first drizzle of the rainy season they would be back with vigorous life. It was my job whenever someone had the onset of a fever (high temperature) to go harvest the ‘fever grass’ so mom could make a pot of tea. Yes, lemongrass tea is used as  a remedy for fevers in most of the Caribbean, it’s known “Fever Grass” and… it works!

You’ll Need…

3 stalks lemon grass (aka fever grass)
4-6 cups water
sweetener (honey or sugar)
slices of lemon (optional)

lemon grass tea (1)

For a more potent tea, try getting grass with a bit of root still attached (or so mom would insist). If you live outside the Caribbean or a region where you can grow fresh lemon grass, try Asian markets as it’s used in cooking many of their delicious recipes. In my case I was able to source both the fresh (a bit dry) and frozen stalks of the lemon grass at a local Asian market.

Using the back of your knife, beat the lemon grass a bit, then place it into a pot with the water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let it go for about 15-20 minutes.

lemon grass tea (2)

You can now strain and sweeten as you like, but I much prefer to let it steep for a few minutes. I would recommend straining a couple times, then sweeten with sugar or as I like doing, with honey. To really brighten up the finished fever grass tea, I like adding a couple slices of fresh sliced lemon.

lemon grass tea (4)

Our friends had invited us out to lunch a few years ago to a lovely Vietnamese restaurant. As you’re seated the waiter brings over a piping hot teapot of tea (served cold in the summer months). As my friend poured me a cup, I was immediately taken back to my childhood days with the lovely scent of the lemon grass (fever grass). However, my recollection of this tea was when someone (including myself) had a fever.. yea, not a great way to start of dinner.