Heavenly Fragrance. Carol Selva Selva Rajah
some of the flavor and aroma. Substitutes: A mixture of lemongrass and young ginger slices.
Kaffir lime and lime leaves ~
Words of wisdom from Amah (nanny) hinged around the fact that the sweetest and tastiest things in life are always thorny. And we learned that lesson early in our lives with the thorny durians—the thorniest fruits invariably produced the sweetest flesh. It was therefore easy to infer that the thorniest kaffir lime leaves were the most flavorful. My kaffir lime tree has survived three transplants and is still producing the glossiest and most perfect hourglass-shaped leaves with as many thorns as leaves.
Kaffir lime leaves are prized for their distinctive incense-like aroma and sharp citrus oils. When the leaves are pressed together between the fingers, sweetish lower notes of orange and clove underpin the immediate top notes of citrus and lime, giving way to a wonderful blend of aromas that translate into flavors when they are used as garnishes and in curries. They can also be crushed or ground to release the oils for use in sambals and sauces, especially Thai green curries and Malaysian laksas, adding top notes to the coriander and pepper garnishes used.
Kaffir lime leaves are versatile in their uses, adapting to Western as well as Eastern recipes. You can use them as fine garnishes in seafood salads and pastas; their strong citrus flavor will give a perfect balance in any recipe where lemon or lime are required.
Purchasing: Kaffir lime leaves are easily spotted for their distinct female hourglass figure. Look for plastic packets of fresh, green and glossy kaffir lime leaves in Asian stores. Don’t buy them on the stems as you will be paying for extra weight. Although dried or frozen leaves as well as essence and powder are available, try to use fresh leaves for their superior aroma and flavor.
Culinary uses: Kaffir limes are small limes with a very rough and intensely fragrant skin, but virtually no juice. The rind or skin is often grated and added to dishes as a seasoning. The fragrant leaves are added whole to soups and curries, or finely shredded and added to salads or deep-fried fish cakes, giving a wonderfully tangy taste to these dishes.
Preparation: When cutting fine strips as a garnish, first remove and discard the central veins of the leaves. Roll several of them into a tight cylinder and slice them very thinly using a very sharp knife. These fine strips are attractive when used as a garnish on salads, seafood dishes and even on lime ice cream or a Lime and Mint Granita Sorbet (page 77). I use kaffir lime shreds to garnish onion and garlic omelets and laksa. When flavoring curries, use whole leaves and add them during the last minute of cooking. Mincing or finely chopping the leaves may overpower the other delicate flavors in the dish.
Storing: Freeze fresh leaves in a plastic bag. Even though they will lose their dark-green color and turn a muddy brown when frozen, the flavors are retained and are just as effective for daily use. Kaffir lime tree can be potted successfully in both tropical and temperate climates, but grow better in the ground. The leaves may wilt or turn yellow and drop in winter, but they grow back green and glossy in spring.
Substitutes: Dried kaffir lime leaves are a poor substitute. Young lemon, lime or even grapefruit leaves may be used as a last resort.
Lemongrass ~
Dig into a thick lemongrass stem and the sweet and effervescent aroma of citrus-lime obliterates everything else. It is a comforting and lingering perfume reminiscent of the kitchens and gardens of tropical Asia. Although it can be used in many combinations, care should be taken not to overpower this scent with too much shrimp paste or other invasive aromas.
The lemongrass I was familiar with at home was the one we grew in our backyard in Malaysia. As a child, I helped to prepare the pastes used to make curries, long before I set off for school. A favorite chore of mine was to cut one or two plump stalks from the clump, remove the outer skins and then grind them in a mortar. The strong scent of this herb would fill my nostrils and cover my hands, leaving the citrusy oils on my palms for the rest of the day. What a wonderful difference from the sharp aromas of garlic and ginger that I normally had to work with! I often wore the perfumes from my garden to school. Lemongrass was naturally my favorite scent.
When I moved to Australia, my mother couldn’t bring in fresh lemongrass. She used to brine the stalks and bring them in as salted pickles so that we could make curry pastes from these brined herbs. This was never satisfactory but we managed as best we could. Imagine my delight and surprise when I whiffed the delicious citrusy scent of lemongrass as I walked past the school ground—one of my Vietnamese students in Canley Vale was savoring a bowl of noodles with the aroma of fresh lemongrass. It used to surprise me when I found out that people in Perth drank lemongrass tea.
Lemongrass has been in Asia for centuries, growing wild on the fringes of the tropical forests. Locals must have discovered their scented lemon aroma, perhaps by brushing against the leaves of the main clump that would have grown like tropical elephant grass. Today, this citrus-scented, lemony herb is used all over the world wherever Thai and other Southeast Asian foods are cooked.
The fragrant grass grows in clumps to a height of 20 in (50 cm). The lemony aroma comes from the tightly-packed, creamy-colored lower part of the stem and up to 4 in (10 cm) of the stalk; these have the most flavor and aroma. Lemongrass should be used when fresh and juicy; once the stems dry out they lose their aroma and flavor and appear woody. The thinner top leaves may be used for tea or for a soup stock (as I found out a long time ago). If lemongrass is your favorite herb, you can grow it in pots and use it throughout the year.
Purchasing: Choose firm stems that end in fat bulbs with no signs of wilting.
Culinary uses: Lemongrass is ground with garlic, galangal, onion and chili pepper into a paste used to make curries and soups. Its distinctive aroma is best complemented with the use of coconut milk. Very finely-sliced lemongrass is often used raw in salads and bruised lengths of the stem are also added to some soups and curries for flavoring. The entire stem, trimmed to a point, can also be used as an aromatic skewer for grilling meats and seafood. In Thai, Cambodian and Laotian temples, lemongrass tea has been served for years as a calmative. Dried lemongrass stems are also used in cupboards and meat safes as an insect repellent. Replace after two months.
Preparation: Use only the inner part of the thick bulb of the stem (the bottom one-third of the stem). Peel off and discard the tough outer leaves to get to the portion, then bruise, slice, chop or grind as directed in the recipe.
Storing: Stand the stems in a glass with their ends in water and keep in a warm place, or wrap stalks of them in paper towels and refrigerate. Lemongrass keeps for 2 weeks in this manner. Do not freeze them.
Substitutes: Sliced lime leaves or sliced lime or lemon rind can be substituted.
Mint ~
A breath freshener and a touch of spring—all in a mint leaf. As one of the most favored herbs—I have found mint invaluable when cooking Indian food—it is not only used in pharmaceutical products such as toothpaste and mouth-fresheners, lotions and bath soaps, but has even invaded the massage tables of spas. It is impossible to imagine that mint has taken on such importance from being a humble aromatic herb that grows wild near taps and garden hoses. Unchecked mint plants can become invasive in temperate gardens. For a long time, mint has always been a very useful and prized herb in Asia, used not only in cooking but also as an insect repellent and potpourri in the cupboards of Nonyas (Straits Chinese) in Malacca.
There are many varieties of mint; peppermint and spearmint are the most common. Peppermint has a strong, true mint flavor and is used mainly in pharmaceuticals and candy. Asians prefer the type of mint which has dark-green, crinkly round leaves, sometimes called Moroccan mint. Asians also use spearmint—the Vietnamese add them to bowls of pho noodles while Thais use them for stuffing fish or cooking shrimp. In this book, spearmint is used in the recipe for Grilled Beef Parcels with Thai Herbs (page 34).