Fresh lemon grass is a pain to track down and an even bigger pain to work with, which is why Vân Vân sourced the next best thing straight from Vietnam. Their single-origin lemon grass is grown and harvested by local farmers in Tiền Giang, a province in the Mekong Delta. It’s then dried using a cold-dehydration process that preserves as much of its flavor and fragrance as possible. All it needs is a quick soak in room-temperature water to plump back up, quickly transforming back into the aromatic, citrusy ingredient that’s central to Vietnamese cooking. We love that this product comes pre-sliced, which allows for close control over the final texture: Depending on the recipe, you can leave the slices as-is after rehydrating or mince them up. (You can also run them through a spice grinder while still dry to create a fine powder.) In flavor, texture and aroma, this is the best alternative to fresh lemon grass we’ve tried—and it’s even packaged in a resealable bag for foolproof storage.