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Kaffir lime, also known as "makrut lime" is one of the most important ingredients in Thai cuisine. But most of the time we only use the leaves rather than the fruit. In this video I talk about everything you need to know to start cooking with kaffir lime leaves. I talk about what it is, how to use, how to store, and how to substitute.
What about kaffir lime fruit?
From the fruit, we only use the zest, which as you can see in the video is quite thick so you can just use a knife to slice off the green part and you don't have to bother with the zester. When zesting kaffir limes try your best not to get the white pith because it's bitter.
As for the flesh on the inside, kaffir limes have a ton of seeds and do not have very much juice at all, so we never really use it in cooking. If you have the fruit, and you can coax out some juice out of it, you can use it to add acidity to your dish, but it is very sour so use sparingly!
For more videos on other Thai ingredients
Check out my Thai Ingredient Playlist where I have informational videos about the most important ingredients in Thai cuisine.
Recipes with Kaffir Lime Leaves
Want to start cooking with kaffir lime leaves? Here are some recipes that use them in various different ways:
Simmering: Tom Ka Gai - Coconut Chicken Soup
Toasting: Laab Gai - Northeastern Ground Chicken Salad
Stir-frying and julienned: Panang Curry
Sarah Leah Whitson
where can i buy makrut lime leaves??
Pailin Chongchitnant
Anywhere you buy your Thai or Southeast Asian ingredients. Check out this page to find a store near you https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/locate-a-thai-grocer/
David R
The Makrut lime fruit can be used in a gin and tonic.
Shan
Hi, we normally washed and freeze them in bulk and put them in soup or you can do desserts with them. You can fried them and put on top of fried chicken pork etc. Eating them fried is nice and crispy. You just have to remove the rip in the middle.
Richard Pomerantz
HELP! A friend of my wife's gave her a kaffir lime plant years ago and we have been using it quite often. One question, and it might not seem like much of a problem, but we have tons of leaves and the plant is quite healthy. Any suggestions on how to use them when you are over-loaded with them. I like your suggestion to fry and make a powder. Any others? Thanks and regards from big fans from Chicagoland.
Shan
Hi, we normally washed and freeze them in bulk and put them in soup or you can do desserts with them. You can fried them and put on top of fried chicken pork etc. Eating them fried is nice and crispy. You just have to remove the rip in the middle.