Lemongrass Grits

Pan of Lemongrass GritsThis recipe makes a LOT of grits. Feel free to reduce to a more appropriate quantity and to experiment with the various Garden Gourmet herb paste flavors. While working on the vegan portion of my cooking blog, I made up a full batch with all the ingredients listed below on a Friday night. All the grits were consumed over the following week in various bowls and entrees as an alternative to rice, pasta, and mashed potatoes.

  • 1-1/2 Cups quick cooking grits
  • 6 cups water
  • 2 Tablespoons Garden Gourmet Lemongrass paste
  • 1 Lime, zest and juice
  • 1-2 teaspoons salt
  • 1-4 dried Chili de Arbol peppers (dark red, 2-3 inches long, mild-medium heat)
  • 1 Tablespoon Garden Gourmet Garlic paste (optional)
  • 1 Tablespoon Garden Gourmet Ginger paste (optional)
  • 1 Tablespoon Garden Gourmet Basil paste (optional)
  • 1 Tablespoon Garden Gourmet Cilantro paste (optional)

Heat everything except grits in a 3-quart saucepan on high heat. Bring to a boil, then remove peppers with a slotted spoon. Slowly pour in grits while stirring to prevent clumping. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking on bottom. Grains will finally visibly thicken after about 4 minutes.

Freshly cooked Lemongrass GritsRemove from heat and pour into a lightly greased serving container. Serve right away, scooping up big dollops of the hot grits.

These Thai-inspired grits are great with Cashew Chicken and Spinach, Cashew Sprouts and Spinach (for vegans), curry, and other entrees with spoon-licking sauces.

As grits cool, they will gel into a texture like grainy Jell-O but they are easily restored. To reheat, crumble a serving into a microwave safe bowl and cook on high for 30 seconds.

6-8 servings

 

If not serving the grits immediately, refrigerate overnight. Cut and remove a single portion, crumble by hand, and heat in microwave for 30-45 seconds. Once covered by sauce, the consistency is similar to fresh grits. The shape of the portions (squares, triangles, etc.) does not make any difference for crumbling and reheating.

Portions of refrigerated, prepared gritsCrumbled grits for reheating