Kaffir limes and leaves

Kaffir lime / makrut lime / magrut / Citrus hystrix

I picked these up from a market stall on Granville Island in Vancouver, BC.  3 fragrant Kaffir Limes for $2.50 – not exactly a steal, but they are hard to find.  I also grabbed a large bag of lime leaves for $2.  If you’re in Vancouver, Granville Island is definitely the place to go for exotic ingredients.

Kaffir limes are an ugly, mostly round, knobbly green fruit.  They’re not eyecatching in the least, but if you pick one up and take a sniff you’ll understand the allure.  The zest of the fruit is incredibly aromatic, with a lemony-lime-floral scent.  There really is nothing else like it.  Well, other than kaffir lime leaves.

The leaves carry a similar, but less intense scent, and can be purchased dried, frozen, or if you’re lucky, fresh.  Small, tender lime leaves can be chiffonaded and used in salads.  The dried leaves are good for use in soups and curries.  The zest is an integral part of Thai curry pastes.

Try throwing a couple of whole lime leaves in your rice as it cooks.  The flavour goes excellent with Japanese and Thai curries.