Lemongrass Coconut Sauce

Lemongrass is a great companion to have in the garden. It grows so well here in Arizona and is a good deterrent of mosquitos. Lemongrass has such a light fresh flavor when used in the kitchen. The woody stems are often steeped to bring out the flavor, but sometimes lemongrass can be very tender. This recipe steeps lemongrass with other aromatic ingredients into rich coconut cream for a great sauce to use over vegetables or grilled chicken or fish.

2 longer pieces of lemon grass - remove the outer layers and cut the lemongrass into smaller sizes
2 large spoonfuls of Scallion Ginger Oil
1/2 of a 13.5 oz can of coconut cream
1 -2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (depending on how much heat you prefer)
salt and pepper

Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and heat over medium low heat. Once the sauce begins to boil, turn it down to a very low simmer. You could turn the heat off and add a lid to let the ingredients steep or leave at a slow simmer and stir occasionally. The mixture will thicken if you let it boil and can be thinned out with water or vegetable stock if you’d like it not as thick. If simmering, allow to simmer for 8-10 minutes and turn off the heat and let sit for another 10 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and then enjoy. This can be poured over roasted vegetables and rice noodles. You can sear chicken tenders and then use this sauce to finish simmering the chicken and serve over steamed rice. Cilantro and extra green onions makes a great garnish for this sauce.