StarAnise Foods Garlic Lemongrass Simmer Sauce review

I often shy away from cooking sauces in this format; time and again my experience is that the preservatives used to keep the sauces shelf stable make for a lackluster experience. More often than not the flavor profile is one of an assertive acidic nature. I’ve been let down so badly that years ago I stopped buying Indian cooking sauces full stop and devoted some serious time to cranking out my own killer recipes (glad I did!)

Anyway, I decided to throw caution to the wind with this one when I spotted it on the shelves at Whole Foods for two reasons: I love lemongrass, I can never get hold of lemongrass when I wanted it. The cooking instructions also intrigued me, recommending to mix this with a can of coconut milk.

I have to admit I rather enjoy the results. I cooked a few veggies (squash, bell peppers, bamboo shoots )in the pan before adding this simmer sauce and the can of coconut milk and cooking for about five minutes, before serving over Jasmine rice.

The sauce definitely had that familiar acidic note, but it wasn’t quite as overpowering as some sauces. The lemongrass flavor is strong and very enjoyable, especially when cut with the creaminess of coconut milk. The sauce didn’t blow my socks off or redefine my thoughts on cooking sauces in this format – but it didn’t cause huge disappointment either. I’d buy again one day.

Stuart Melling

Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you!  I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC – Utah’s biggest and oldest online food magazine; I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune.  I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV shows.

I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have covered the Utah dining scene for the better part of fifteen years.   I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand.   I started Shop Smart to catalogue my adventures in the grocery store and kitchen.  Follow along on Instagram too!