Kitchen gardener - kaffir lime
Growing a kaffir lime tree is easy – the problem is knowing where to put it. With inch-long thorns, it’s like a nail cluster bomb.
This is not always a bad thing: plants this prickly can be very useful – especially when used around maximum-security prisons and girls’ boarding schools (and had Mr Montague thought to plant one under his daughter Juliet’s balcony he would have saved himself a lot of strife).
But for the home gardener it’s a good idea to keep your kaffir lime in a pot: that way you can hide it when kids come to play – or bring it out, depending on your views on children. My own tree sits on a very high wall where even the dog can’t come to grief, and come the frosty weather I throw it under the eaves for protection.
As with all citrus, the kaffir lime likes plenty of water and it helps to throw a handful of citrus fertiliser on each spring and autumn. Little nibblers such as the leaf roller caterpillar can attack but they’re not much of a problem (if they do concern you, try an organic pest spray). Beyond that, there’s nothing to worry about.
A kaffir lime tree looks great in a courtyard with its glossy citrus leaves and, best of all for cooks, it’s evergreen. Whatever the season, you can rely on this plant to keep you supplied with more leaves than you’ll ever need.
It has to be said that the leaves are rather peculiar: joined end-on-end they look like a genetic experiment gone wrong. And the small, bumpy fruit are of no value whatsoever except for one vital use – as a leech repellent for feet (apparently the rind has insecticidal properties). So multi-talented! This is one plant you just can’t be without.
Philippa Swan
Ways to use kaffir lime leaves
If you are unfamiliar with these leaves think of them as an Asian version of bay leaves. Cooking with them is all about infusion. Enjoy peace and quiet in your garden with a pretty china cup and saucer filled with a kaffir lime leaf infusion. Remove leaf quickly as one leaf will impart tremendous flavour.
Infusion can also be savoury – gives steamed rice a pleasant tang or introduces a top note to chicken stock. You can very quickly uplift a traditional pumpkin or kumara soup by adding a single kaffir lime leaf with the liquid. Of course, remove it before you blend. Particularly delicious if you throw in a small red chilli and finish the soup with a swirl of coconut cream.
Young tiny leaves can be eaten. They are tender enough to de-spine, roll and shred with a sharp knife. Like this they are good sprinkled on top of a dish, in much the same way as you would use lime or lemon zest.
Where they truly come into their own in my kitchen is at dessert time. Try adding a kaffir lime leaf instead of a vanilla bean to panna cotta or ice-cream. The taste buds are surprised with the unctuousness of a creamy dessert cut with the zingy flavour of a kaffir lime leaf.
The glossiness and flatness of the leaf makes it the perfect decorative undercarriage for an individual butter portion or an amuse-gueule (cocktail snacks). It will impart a delicate scent to that which it is supporting.
l If you are exhausted from all your cooking here’s a tip from an old trooper. Tie some cut-up leaves in a small piece of muslin and add it to a very deep, hot bath. Mmmmm.
Ruth Pretty
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