Description

These Pork and Shrimp Lemongrass Skewers are an all time favourite in my house. We call this Jim’s Thai Stick.

Many years ago I attended a Thai cooking class where we pressed a combination of ground pork and shrimp meat around a single shrimp on a bamboo skewer. Over the years we have adapted this recipe and here it is today wrapped around a lemongrass skewer.

From Everyday to Gourmet – Pork and Shrimp Lemongrass Skewers

The combination of ground pork and shrimp is juicy, the cilantro and orange zest add a flavourful punch and the coating adds a nice crunch. Although the mixture can be made into little meatballs or patties the lemongrass skewer takes this appetizer up a notch. 

I’d hardly call this an everyday dish. Who has an appetizer on any given day of the week? But there is an everyday presentation just to enjoy wonderful food at home. Then there is the gourmet presentation that creates a feast for the eyes. I like to share that effort or the results of it, with friends. Challenge yourself to go the extra mile just for fun.

Fresh lemongrass is no longer difficult to find. I see it at large grocery stores with an extensive Asian section and of course Asian markets carry it too. As an alternative you can buy frozen or dried lemongrass and add some to the mixture. If you like Thai and Vietnamese cuisine you could keep some in your pantry.

How To Use Lemongrass

Lemongrass is an essential ingredient for many dishes from Southern Asia and India. This herb has a subtle citrus flavour that is unique and must be tasted to understand.

To use fresh lemongrass stalks you need to trim both ends. First cut off the top one-third of the stalk. Next trim the bottom root end cutting about one-inch off. Next remove the toughest outer pieces from the stalk, two or three pieces depending how thick the stalk is. Now you have the most tender part of the stalk to use.

In some recipes the trimmed stalks would be used chopped or sliced. This recipe does not even use lemongrass but the finished Thai Sticks take on that subtle flavour from using whole stalks as skewers.

To learn more about buying and using lemongrass you can read my blog post How To Use Lemongrass. It talks about fresh, frozen and dried lemongrass.

More Lemongrass Recipes:

• Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Soup
• Thai Spicy Shrimp Soup (AKA Tom Yam Goong)
• Pork and Shrimp on Lemongrass Skewers
• Thai Yellow Curry Paste for Yellow Chicken Curry
• A lemongrass marinade for the meat and shrimp in this Vietnamese Rice Noodle Bowl

Let me know in the comments below what form of lemongrass you use or if you tried this recipe.

A Travel Tale – Thailand

From time to time I write a travel post for my friend Sue over at Travel Tales of Life. This is the one I wrote about our trip to Thailand many years ago.

Thai Red Shrimp Curry