Thai Kitchen Apprentice
Makrut and Bai Makrut (citrus hystrix)
When I was growing up, we used many citrus fruits in our family kitchen: lime, key lime, kaffir lime and calamansi, to name just a few. We use citrus juice in Thai cooking and when it comes to juice we depend largely on lime juice; most other citrus juices are for fun and creative cooking while they are in season. Kaffir lime is an exception. It was never important for its juice but rather for its precious rind.
Kaffir Lime (citrus hystrix), Makrut in Thai, is a bumpy citrus fruit that has a great deal of aromatic essential oil in the rind. In Thailand and Laos, we use the rind in curry paste. My grandmother would cut a kaffir lime in half and rub the lime on her head to massage her scalp and condition her hair.
Kaffir Lime Leaf ~ Bai Makrut is known as kroy saoch in Cambodia. These shiny, dark green, double-lobed leaves are used extensively in Thai, Lao and Cambodian cuisines as well as in the neighboring countries of India, Burma, Malaysian and Indonesia. For Thais, whole kaffir lime leaves have endless possibilities. They are an important ingredient in soups such as Tom Yum and Tom Kha, and are also always in curries. Whole kaffir lime leaves are used like bay leaves. The essential oil in the fresh leaves imparts flavor quickly and easily in boiling liquid, but the leaves themselves are not for eating. We never use dry kaffir lime leaves in Thailand. Letting them dry allows the delicate essential oil to disappear and nothing is left in the dry leaves. Ideally you want to freeze the fresh leaves right away while their moisture helps trap all of the essence.
When I was growing up, each home had one or more large kaffir lime trees in the back yard. The fresh leaves is the price that the trees pay for their alluring fragrance with citrus and floral notes. Besides using whole kaffir lime leaves in Thai soups and curries, another way to use the leaves is as a very fine chiffonade.
The tender fresh leaves are ideal for cutting into fine chiffonade then adding to fish cakes or salads. There is no substitute nor any other ingredients that can truly imitate the alluring fragrance and flavor of kaffir limes. To avoid frustration, I keep a pound of frozen kaffir limes in my freezer for emergencies and for convenience, but I use fresh ones any time they are available at the store. I seldom chiffonade frozen kaffir lime leaves.
Thai Kitchen Apprentice
My mom is famous for Hua Mok – steamed fish cake in banana leaves. I was so proud of how people in the village raved about her Hua Mok that I found an opportunity to make her my business partner. I asked her to make Hua Mok and I would sell them right after school, around 4 to 5pm. That way people in the villages could purchase them for a snack or as a main dish for their family. She agreed and I became an apprentice cook at her side. The valuable lesson I learned was to shred the kaffir lime leaves into the finest slivers. A fine chiffonade of kaffir lime leaves is a high point of Thai cuisine, so it is important to be patient and to practice cutting the leaves; there is no compromise. The fine chiffonade of kaffir lime leaves is incorporated into many recipes: Tod Mun (fried fish cake), Hua Mok (steamed fish cake in banana leaves), Kao Yum (rice salad), Pla (spicy Thai herbal salad with meat, poultry or seafood), Phanang curry and Chu Chi curry. These are traditional Thai dishes that are always served with generous amounts of fine chiffonade of kaffir lime leaves on top.
I took the three pictures below when I visited Koh Kred, an island village of ethnic Mon people outside of Bangkok. For me, Koh Kred is a culinary treasure island. It is famous for traditional fried fish cake or steamed fish cake. Both recipes use extreme amounts of fine slivered kaffir lime leaves. In Koh Kred I visited Pha (Thai for Auntie) Mu and savored her steamed fish cake in banana leaves. She also kindly let me take her picture as she spent her time chiffonading kaffir lime leaves while selling her Hua Mok.
To chiffonade, layer three to four kaffir lime leaves and fold, then, holding them tightly, use a sharp knife to thinly slice them (see picture below). I tell my students that I often cut the air seven times to control my knife then I may succeed with three perfect fine slivers. There are two errors you are likely to make while cutting: one is cutting the air instead of the leaves, the other is cutting too big a slice. Cutting the air indicates that you are close to perfection. When the leaves are too old and tough, I would prefer not to chiffonade them at all – eating one will feel like you’ve eaten a fish bone. Only the tender fresh kaffir lime leaves are good for this.
I have posted many photos to give you a good sense of how Thai cuisine depends on the flavor of the kaffir limes and kaffir lime leaves. Today kaffir lime leaves are easy to find in America and around the world. I hope I have inspired you to incorporate this alluring citrusy sense and flavor in your cooking. You can use kaffir lime in practically everything!
Pha Moo spends many hours chiffonading her kaffir lime leaves as there is no shortcut for this step. Often, when I make a fine chiffonade in a classroom, students who are across the room will pause as they notice the alluring fragrance. The food’s citrusy taste is easily noticeable and appreciated.
Pha Moo’s steamed fish cakes are so scrumptious. Her regular customers come from the neighborhood and from Bangkok.
Koh Kred Tod Mun Pla is packed full of herbs. Besides kaffir lime, Noh Kala, a local rhizome is added to the fish paste.
A famous Pho Noodle stall in Hanoi provides a fine chiffonade of kaffir lime leaves and Thai chili for customers to add to the Pho Ga, Chicken Noodle Soup.
Please click photo for Kroeung Khmer curry paste recipe
In Siem Reap, Cambodia at Le Tigre De Papier cooking class, a member of my tour learned how to add kaffir lime leaves to Khmer curry paste.
In Phuket, the BoatHouse Cooking School teaches students to make a fine chiffonade of kaffir lime leaves for Pla Salad.
Phuket Spicy Devil Soup – Tom Prade Gai at Palai Seafood Restaurant
Coconut and turmeric curry of blue swimmer crab with southern lime at Nahm Restaurant in Bangkok by David Thompson
Please click photo to see Pranee’s Southern Thai Rice Salad Recipe
Please click photo for Pranee’s Salmon Fish Cake Recipe
Kaffir lime leaves are available fresh or frozen in Asian markets, at the PCC Natural Markets, and from online stores. For fun facts and recipes, please also check kaffirlimeleaves.com
Related articles
- Pranee’s Tom Yum Martini (ilovethaicooking.wordpress.com)
- Wild Salmon Cakes with Kaffir Lime and Ginger – Polpette di salmone (houseofannie.com)
- Kaffir Lime and other Citrus Pleasures (nytimes.com)
- Thai fish cakes to make at home (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- ~Thai Vegetarian Green Curry with Chanterelle Mushrooms Recipe~ (ilovethaicooking.wordpress.com)
- Kaffir Lime and Other Citrus Pleasures (dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com)
- Thai Vegetarian Green Curry with Kaffir lime leaves (ilovethaicooking.wordpress.com)
Oh my goodness reading that has made me hungry!
What beautiful photos. Making me feel very hungry.
Can I please have the recipe of the curry paste using the kaffir lime rind as I have pruned my tree and have an excess of limes.
Carla, you can use 2 teaspoons of green zests pratically in any curry paste in this blog or any cook books. please use search in this blog “curry paste”. Freeze you kaffir lime if you too many to handle. Thanks!
Pranee
Thank you !!
Hi, could you change the link for the “Wild Salmon Cakes with Kaffir Lime and Ginger” to the original recipe on our site: http://www.houseofannie.com/wild-salmon-cakes-kaffir-lime-ginger/
Much appreciated.
Thanks for letting me know. Your salmon cake with Kaffir lime leaves looks great!
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I need some advice. I am moving and unfortunately, can’t take my Kaffir Lime plant with me 😦 What is the way to dry the leaves and use them later?
Personally I don’t use dry Kaffir lime. The next best thing to fresh Kaffir lime is frozen. Freeze the freshest one and pull out from the freezer when needed. You can use them instantly. The versatile oil in the leaf is gone when we dry them. I would recommend give the plant to a good friend. And take a few fresh leaves with you.
Unfortunately, I am leaving the country and can’t freeze and take them so the next best thing would be to dry them hence the question…
And, yes, the plant is going to a a good friend who has a green thumb 😉
You can air-dried the Kaffir lime leaves in that case.
Loved your website.
Thanks for all your recipes
You are welcome! Thank you for your visit and I hope it is helpful to everyone who love Thai foods!
What is the best way to freeze a whole kaffir lime? I am getting 2 dozen sent to me and will be using the rind in my red curry. Love your blog. Thanks!
I could think of two ways right now. One is to freeze whole, then grate the frozen kaffir lime to enhance the flavor as you go (cooking). And the second way is to peel in to strips above the pit and freeze them, only add a few pieces in the curry when you cook, or chiffonade and then add toward the middle or the end of your curry cooking process. Thank you and I hope this help!
Thanks for the quick reply! I will actually give both methods a try. Strips for my curry pastes and whole to enhance my cooking. These are great tips!
I am confused about the use of Kaffir Leaves…you said …”The essential oil in the fresh leaves imparts flavor quickly and easily in boiling liquid, but the leaves themselves are “not for eating”. Yet when they are chiffonade in certain dishes they are EDIBLE as for a garnish or in cakes? Can they be pulverized in a Blender to make_a Smoothie or Sauce? Your help is appreciated as I just purchased some fresh leaves & plan on freezing some for future use.I’d like to impart this flavor in cooking…sounds wonderful!
The reason the whole leave is not suggest for eating because you can choke on them, like large pieces of lemongrass. All Thai herbs are edible when it is chewable. The traditional way of adding Kaffir lime leaves for fish cake and garnish the curry dishes is chiffonade. And yes, you can add into sauce, curry paste and blend them well with a blender or food processor. The possibility is endless.