fully agree that ' you really limit your possibilities in Thai cooking without lemon grass', and also galangal, kaffir lime, etc, especially if you cannot get the fresh stuff. What has me posting on this thread is that i believe you can get the fresh stuff in most of EU, and if not then grow your own... you already have your own kaffir lime tree, etc, so whats a few more :-)) I have gone thru the frustrations that you are going thru, but that was many, many moons ago, and nowadays, they are easily available fresh in asian/Chinese/vietnamese grocery stores, at least in Netherlands, France and the UK, where such ingredients are readily available, albeit only in the major cities. But, as you say, this is not the case in Italy.A quick check on the internet throws up online nurseries that sell pandan and lemon grass plants, and where the postage is as much as, if more than the cost of the plant itself. Check out and ...they may be out of stock at this time of year, so its best to email or phone them first. I am sure there are others if you are persistent in your googling.Or check out the nurseries in and around where you live, they may be able to give you some tips on where to find them or, if you are lucky, they may order them on your behalf?If you are buying the plants on the internet or even in nurseries, make sure that lemon grass is Cymbopogon citratus, and that the pandan is Pandanus amaryllifolius, because, there are many different species or varieties, and a lot of them are grown and sold as ornamental plants, and they may not mention that its not the edible variety/species.If you have already received the lemon grass that you ordered online, you could try sticking them in a glass of water and hope that they will root, and if so you can then plant them in regular pot of soil/dirt. If you buy fresh pandan in a grocery store/website, they are normally from the aerial suckers (as different from the inground suckers) and i have not had success in propagating from aerial suckers.and if you are into the Thai bird chillies, and if you can find the dried chillies, you could keep the seeds and try to grow them. i have had success with growing chilli plants from store bought dried chillies, and they include Thai bird chillies and Sichuan chillies (the so-called heaven facing chillies)., There are conflicting reports on the use of fresh lemon verbena leaves as a substitute for lemongrass. One says use half the quantity of lemongrass called for to start and adjust upward as desired, the other says one-to-one ratio., The taste is mellow and earthy and when cooked, it gives dishes a wonderful smoky flavour. Throughout China, vinegar is widely used and there are many varieties. Balsamic vinegar makes a good substitute. Available from Chinese supermarkets..