Kaffir / Keffir / Kefir Lime Leaves...

However you wanna spell em, I'm looking for them closest to Oak Park as I can get them. Can someone point me someplace? Was disappointed at the International Food Market (whatever it's called) on I-55 and Pulaski over the wknd - although, I did try one of the Aloe Vera soft drinks for the first time, and it was tasty.

I've never worked with these fresh leaves before. Question: had a panang
curry @ tac quick. The plate came garnished with finely chopped green leafy specs. These little specs BURSTED with a bright citrusy flavor, and I have been craving this flavor ever since. This was NOT cilantro. I am assuming it was chopped Kaffir lime leaves, or possibly a very leafy part of a lemongrass stalk? Can anyone verify?

Yes, that was likely keffir lime leaves -- lemongrass wouldn't have the brightness and floral qualities of lime.

I don't know the Oak Park region, though. The only place I've seen it in the burbs at all is Super H-Mart at Oakton and Waukegan in Niles, which is a bit of a shlep for you. It's also only been there SOME of the time I've been in there, so perhaps a phone call is in order, or go there intending on buying other things like really fresh fish.

I've put extras in my freezer with no perceived ill effect on later use, so don't sweat having to buy a pile of them.

My soon to be bride has once again placated my habits and has given me permission to order a plant of my very own. Apparently, they are fairly easy to grow in a pot. From what I've found It will be around $40 with shipping for a 1-2yr old plant.

Flip

Flip wrote:My soon to be bride has once again placated my habits and has given me permission to order a plant of my very own. Apparently, they are fairly easy to grow in a pot. From what I've found It will be around $40 with shipping for a 1-2yr old plant.

Flip

I've posted at some length about the care and maintenance of my own tree, which was a gift from extramsg. Unfortunately, for the time being, at least, my pics are not available. Anyway, it's been quite simple and highly rewarding. My tree has grown considerably in the past two years, and I couldn't possibly want for more leaves.

E.M.

JoelF wrote: The only place I've seen it in the burbs at all is Super H-Mart at Oakton and Waukegan in Niles, which is a bit of a shlep for you.

I actually work in Northbrook. I might side trek it home, (Tuesday traffic is light) and check. I love going to asian mkts anyway. - thanx.
Although, now that I think about it, I do have TWO new Grand Marts in my home-ish area.

This brings up a question I have been meaning to ask (excuse me if somebody has already asked it). I usually buy Kafir Lime leaves at the Marketplace on Oakton (in Skokie). They sell them packaged on cardboard trays. There is always 5 times more than I can use before they dry out. What should I do with leftover leaves? I have tried drying them, but they lose a lot of flavor. Can I freeze them? I once let some soak in a bottle of rice-wine vinegar, which gave it a nice fragrance, but did not add much flavor.

d4v3 wrote:This brings up a question I have been meaning to ask (excuse me if somebody has already asked it). I usually buy Kafir Lime leaves at the Marketplace on Oakton (in Skokie). They sell them packaged on cardboard trays. There is always 5 times more than I can use before they dry out. What should I do with leftover leaves? I have tried drying them, but they lose a lot of flavor. Can I freeze them? I once let some soak in a bottle of rice-wine vinegar, which gave it a nice fragrance, but did not add much flavor.

Space and layer the leaves on paper towel sheets inside of a ziploc bag.
Press the air out.
Seal and Freeze.

E.M.

Erik M. wrote:Space and layer the leaves on paper towel sheets inside of a ziploc bag.
Press the air out.
Seal and Freeze.

Thanks Erik.

Super-H's supply is inconsistent. When I was looking for them a few months ago, they didn't have them. I've heard that one place that has them fairly consistently is Golden Pacific Market at 5353 N Broadway (between Bryn Mawr & foster).

Flip wrote:My soon to be bride has once again placated my habits and has given me permission to order a plant of my very own. Apparently, they are fairly easy to grow in a pot. From what I've found It will be around $40 with shipping for a 1-2yr old plant.

Flip

Ordered - $39.33 including shipping

we've had good luck with our plant as well, very easy, overwinter indoors well, more leaves than you can possibly use.

What an excellent idea. (btw I didn't know lime leaves could be eaten - I thought they were only for use in simmering with broth, ala tom yum soup)

Maybe I'll try growing both the lime leaves and some Thai peppers. Always good for a conversation starter, too.

I called some places around Chicago to see if I buy any locally, and couldn't find any, so I put a bid on eBay.

I have found kaffir lime leaves here in the produce section, although not on a regular basis.

Buy more than you need if you find them, and freeze, as ErikM suggests.

Call before you go.


Whole Grain Fresh Market
665 Pasquinelli Dr
Westmont, IL
(630) 323-8180

I kept a Kaffir lime tree flourishing for nearly 10 yrs in KC, before I had to give it away due to Circumstances Beyond My Control.

Outside in mid-May, until mid-September, then back into the basement under 16/24-hour grow lights [you can now buy 4' aquarium tubes from Sylvania for under $10 per]. Basement temp c. 60°F most of the time they were there. They always lost a few leaves from the shock of being taken inside, but it never did any harm that I could see. They are AWfully tough plants, I must say. Don't overwater--they can take drought well.

Geo

GOT EM!!
Super H mart.
Time to start some curry now.

Thanks!!!!

Hopefully in Northern suberbs, but I will go into the city. I use to get them at Whole foods, but they don't seem to carry them anymore. I usually buy a large quantity and freeze them.

I've recently seen them at H-Mart; I think there's another thread on this here

Thanks for the thread link. I did a search, but didn't find that thread.

Glad you found it - for LTH newbies, there's a useful thread on searching here. The search function on the site can be difficult to use, so I use the google trick suggested by eatchicago. (Thanks to this food site, I've learned more about the internet than I'd been able to glean in the last ten years of surfing.)

In a nutshell, in Google's searchbar, I typed

"lime leaves" site:lthforum.com.

The Thai Grocery on Broadway at Argyle always has them - sometimes just frozen, but often fresh, too.

I stopped at 2 argyle-area grocery stores this weekend looking for kaffir lime leaves (fresh, frozen or even dried) and was told at both stores that they are unavailable due to the FDA prohibiting import. Anyone know anything about this? If anyone sees fresh (blackmarket) leaves, please post (or maybe pm me--I don't want to get any stores in trouble).
Thanks

thaiobsessed wrote:I stopped at 2 argyle-area grocery stores this weekend looking for kaffir lime leaves (fresh, frozen or even dried) and was told at both stores that they are unavailable due to the FDA prohibiting import. Anyone know anything about this? If anyone sees fresh (blackmarket) leaves, please post (or maybe pm me--I don't want to get any stores in trouble).
Thanks

I read about this on another foodsite recently; unbelievable. Thankfully, I'm stocked up...tho' what I wouldn't do for a kaffir lime tree right now.

Addendum: I was at my favorite Asian market(not Saraga) in Indianapolis(I know no help to you) yesterday(April Fool's...not intentionally) hoping to pick up some frozen galangal(no luck) and they had several trays of frozen kaffir lime leaves.

I thought this "ban" was a terrible joke, but if it's missing on Argyle...all I have to offer is..wtf? That would be like banning basil or oregano for pizza sauce(can you imagine the uproar?).


Misbegotten FDA, please don't whine to me about "citrus canker."

Super H has fresh galangal (is there an advantage to frozen?) as well as kaffir lime leaves.

Jay K wrote:Super H has fresh galangal (is there an advantage to frozen?) as well as kaffir lime leaves.

There are such odd omissions in the Indianapolis Thai culinary world...it's a wonder I can finally find kaffir lime leaves and galangal here...what do those restos do? Oh, I know..make awful substitutions...



...I'm speaking to Indianapolis's galangal availability in my earlier post. It's available here, finally, at Saraga(the Costco of ethnic foodstuffs), but I prefer frozen, here's why:

I don't use galangal frequently enough to purchase fresh(it's something I like to always have on hand when the urge for a soup or curry strikes)

Fresh galangal is a bastard to slice

Frozen galangal is available(at least at Thai Grocery on Argyle) in slices

Sliced galangal doesn't appear to lose flavor when frozen...I've kept it in the freezer for up to three months w/o noticeable degradation

you cannot defrost and refreeze it tho'(not that I've tried...I just figure as fast as it deliquesces removed from the freezer it'd turn to crap if returned there)

I keep both galangal and ginger (¡Yes!) frozen and use them directly with my super duper microplane grater, which can in about a millisecond make a huge pile of powder from the frozen specimens. The aroma from the pile immediately tells you that You've Done the Right Thing: both ginger and galangal smell exquisitely fresh and potent.

Whoever invented the microplane deserves the Nobel.

Geo

Jay K wrote:Super H has fresh galangal (is there an advantage to frozen?) as well as kaffir lime leaves.

Super H in Niles did not have lime leaves the last 3 times I have been there in the last 4 weeks. If anyone knows of anywhere that truely does have them, I would love to know.

I've noticed that when something's out of season, H-Mart doesn't carry it even if it's a staple - there were weeks without Thai Holy Basil....however, I suppose if I'd gone and it was crummy I wouldn't buy it...

lougord99 wrote:

Jay K wrote:Super H has fresh galangal (is there an advantage to frozen?) as well as kaffir lime leaves.

Super H in Niles did not have lime leaves the last 3 times I have been there in the last 4 weeks. If anyone knows of anywhere that truely does have them, I would love to know.

Where in the produce section did YOU look? Not that I'm inclined to tell you anyways...

Jay K wrote:

lougord99 wrote:

Jay K wrote:Super H has fresh galangal (is there an advantage to frozen?) as well as kaffir lime leaves.

Super H in Niles did not have lime leaves the last 3 times I have been there in the last 4 weeks. If anyone knows of anywhere that truely does have them, I would love to know.

Where in the produce section did YOU look? Not that I'm inclined to tell you anyways...

In rereading what I wrote, it does come off as a slam at you. I certainly did not mean it that way. Sorry. I did not find them and the produce guy I asked could not find any.

H-mart has had Kaffir lime leaves in the past but not my most recent trip. My guess is, if there is some FDA restriction, they're only going to be found at some of the smaller stores that still has them in the recesses of their freezer somewhere. I'd even settle for dried if anyone sees them (though I'd prefer fresh/frozen).