Its Christmas time and I have a friend who has expressed interest in
leaning to cook Thai food. I am looking for your recommendations in
addition to those I have used myself.

She is an accomplished cook, leaning to French and French a la New
Orleans in western food and Japanese in Eastern. We live in the
south, so it is relatively easy to grow a number of the basics,
(ginger, galagal, turmeric, lemon grass, kaffir lime and chilies,
among them).

So I am looking for a good introduction for one willing to work from
fresh ingredients and with a good sense of taste.

From where I sit, I can read the spines of four books from my own
library. Practical Thai Cooking (Schmidtz and Worman), The Taste of
Thailand (Bhumichitr), The Elegant Taste of Thailand (Kongpan &
Srisawat) and Delightful Thai Cooking (Ang)

If you have other recommendations, I would very much appreciate
reading them. If you have some particular reason for recommending one
over another, that too, is welcome.

Thanks,

"B.Server" > wrote in message
...
<snip>
>
> If you have other recommendations, I would very much appreciate
> reading them. If you have some particular reason for recommending one
> over another, that too, is welcome.
>
> Thanks,
>
>

I would suggest The Elegant Taste of Thailand. That was the cookbook my
father turned to most often when looking for
ideas/inspirations/starting-points (he was born and raised in Thailand, and
was an excellent cook). He thought it was closest to his own style of
cooking (royal Thai) and to the flavours he remembered.

It Rains Fishes is good, as well, and though I've never looked at it, I
think Cracking the Coconut is probably good (based on what I've seen of the
author on cooking shows).

rona

--
***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!***

"Rona Yuthasastrakosol" > wrote in message
...
> "B.Server" > wrote in message
> ...
> <snip>
> >
> > If you have other recommendations, I would very much appreciate
> > reading them. If you have some particular reason for recommending one
> > over another, that too, is welcome.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> >
>
> I would suggest The Elegant Taste of Thailand. That was the cookbook my
> father turned to most often when looking for
> ideas/inspirations/starting-points (he was born and raised in Thailand,
and
> was an excellent cook). He thought it was closest to his own style of
> cooking (royal Thai) and to the flavours he remembered.
>
> It Rains Fishes is good, as well, and though I've never looked at it, I
> think Cracking the Coconut is probably good (based on what I've seen of
the
> author on cooking shows).


I agree with Rona, again! Though you did have Elegant Taste of Thailand
on your list already. I think that is the best book. It Rains Fishes give
excellent, detailed info in ingredients, cooking procedures, etc, though
doesn't have too many recipes.

Peter

On Wed, 10 Dec 2003 12:27:40 GMT, "Peter Dy" >
wrote:

>
>"Rona Yuthasastrakosol" > wrote in message
...
>> "B.Server" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> <snip>
>> >
>> > If you have other recommendations, I would very much appreciate
>> > reading them. If you have some particular reason for recommending one
>> > over another, that too, is welcome.
>> >
>> > Thanks,
>> >
>> >
>>
>> I would suggest The Elegant Taste of Thailand. That was the cookbook my
>> father turned to most often when looking for
>> ideas/inspirations/starting-points (he was born and raised in Thailand,
>and
>> was an excellent cook). He thought it was closest to his own style of
>> cooking (royal Thai) and to the flavours he remembered.
>>
>> It Rains Fishes is good, as well, and though I've never looked at it, I
>> think Cracking the Coconut is probably good (based on what I've seen of
>the
>> author on cooking shows).
>
>
>I agree with Rona, again! Though you did have Elegant Taste of Thailand
>on your list already. I think that is the best book. It Rains Fishes give
>excellent, detailed info in ingredients, cooking procedures, etc, though
>doesn't have too many recipes.
>
>Peter
>

Thanks Peter. And thank you for including some of Rona's post as it
has not turned up on my server yet. ( !!(*&(&!! Earthlink )

I have the Elegant Taste of Thailand and will find a copy of It Rains
Fishes. I am sure one or the other (or both) will suit.

Thanks again to you both.

What kind of conditions are needed to grow kaffir limes? Do they grow
quickly?

"B.Server" > wrote in message
...
> Its Christmas time and I have a friend who has expressed interest in
> leaning to cook Thai food. I am looking for your recommendations in
> addition to those I have used myself.
>
> She is an accomplished cook, leaning to French and French a la New
> Orleans in western food and Japanese in Eastern. We live in the
> south, so it is relatively easy to grow a number of the basics,
> (ginger, galagal, turmeric, lemon grass, kaffir lime and chilies,
> among them).
>
> So I am looking for a good introduction for one willing to work from
> fresh ingredients and with a good sense of taste.
>
> From where I sit, I can read the spines of four books from my own
> library. Practical Thai Cooking (Schmidtz and Worman), The Taste of
> Thailand (Bhumichitr), The Elegant Taste of Thailand (Kongpan &
> Srisawat) and Delightful Thai Cooking (Ang)
>
> If you have other recommendations, I would very much appreciate
> reading them. If you have some particular reason for recommending one
> over another, that too, is welcome.
>
> Thanks,
>
>

Aria wrote:
> What kind of conditions are needed to grow kaffir limes? Do they grow
> quickly?
>

The trees are easy to grow, and will be quite happy indoors in a pot if you start with a dwarf version. Mine is around four years old, in a 15 gallon pot, and has spent its career outdoors in partial sun during the summer / indoors by a window (with supplemental lighting) during the winter. I and the tree are in Ohio. Currently it's experiencing a growth flush and has a bunch of new flower buds. Since the leaves are used to a much greater extent than the fruit, it's immediately rewarding to grow, compared to other citrus plants where you have to wait for the tree to mature in order to provide anything edible (ie. fruit).

At least in the USA, depending on where you are located, you may be able to legally purchase one via mail order, or (if you are already in a citrus-producing state) you may need to buy one from a local nursery.

Best - krnntp

On Wed, 10 Dec 2003 11:18:36 -0700, "Aria" >
wrote:

>What kind of conditions are needed to grow kaffir limes? Do they grow
>quickly?
>

I have one kaffir lime grown from a cutting. It lives in a 30Gal
nursery container, outdoors from roughly mid-March to Mid-November and
in a cool greenhouse through the winter. This tree flowers and sets
fruit most years, yielding 20-35 fruit per year. As mentioned by KR,
since one uses the leaves more than the fruit, flowering is a bonus,
not a requirement.

From the fruit of this tree I have started around 40 other trees and
at least one person to whom I sent a ripe fruit started another 35 or
so. (from a single fruit, giving a clue as to why they are not used
much for cooking; -too seedy) Most of these I have given away or
occasionally lost due to small pots, intense sun, and mechanical
failures while I travel.

Last year I moved a seed-grown, 7 year old Kaffir from a 5gallon to a
30 gallon container. It grew about 20'' up and 18" out over the
summer. I will be keeping it in the greenhouse this winter in the
hopes that it will flower; my first from seed.

My older tree has experienced 25 degree weather outside under the
shade of a live oak. There was some minor tip burn, but no lasting
damage. When my current crop of seedlings get bigger, I intend to
plant one in the ground as an experiment and give one to a friend who
will plant it in bottom land a few miles from here.

The seedlings I planted in mid August are about 5 inches high, with 8
or so leaves. I would expect them to be a foot tall by next August,
depending on watering and size of container.

There are several web sources for kaffirs. If you live in the US in a
citrus producing state, (basically the Gulf Coast plus California) you
will probably have to buy locally, as KR mentioned. All of the
growing states have quarantine regulations for citrus stock.

The seed grown kaffirs have ferocious thorns, making them a real (and
literal) pain in the butt to keep in a greenhouse over winter.

Forgot to mention that I live in Central Texas where the weather is
rather variable. (It is by no means unusual to have temperatures of
either single digits or the high 90s in January, often within a couple
of week period. Triple digit highs are common in July/August/Sept
Oddly we get about the same amount of rain as Seattle (~32in/year);
the difference being that we usually get ours in 3-7in quanta)

The fresh leaves do wonders for Thai food and other things as well.

While we're discussing cookbooks, what's the verdict on _Vatch's Thai
Street Food_ by Vatcharin Bhumichitr? I know that different people here
have diverging opinions on Bhumachitr's cookery writing. Frankly lacking
the travel experience and cooking hours to judge, myself, still I was a bit
turned off my initial enthusuasm when I noticed the facile substitution
of lemon for lime juice in the recipes. That's something I have strong
feelings about. Anyway...

krnntp

Rona Yuthasastrakosol wrote:

> "B.Server" > wrote in message
> ...
> <snip>
>
>>If you have other recommendations, I would very much appreciate
>>reading them. If you have some particular reason for recommending one
>>over another, that too, is welcome.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>
>>
>
>
> I would suggest The Elegant Taste of Thailand. That was the cookbook my
> father turned to most often when looking for
> ideas/inspirations/starting-points (he was born and raised in Thailand, and
> was an excellent cook). He thought it was closest to his own style of
> cooking (royal Thai) and to the flavours he remembered.
>
> It Rains Fishes is good, as well, and though I've never looked at it, I
> think Cracking the Coconut is probably good (based on what I've seen of the
> author on cooking shows).
>
> rona
>

PS. Please please tell me it's good, because I'd love to find a good book of
Thai street cooking.

krnntp

KR wrote:

> While we're discussing cookbooks, what's the verdict on _Vatch's Thai
> Street Food_ by Vatcharin Bhumichitr? I know that different people here
> have diverging opinions on Bhumachitr's cookery writing. Frankly lacking
> the travel experience and cooking hours to judge, myself, still I was a bit
> turned off my initial enthusuasm when I noticed the facile substitution
> of lemon for lime juice in the recipes. That's something I have strong
> feelings about. Anyway...
>
> krnntp
> Rona Yuthasastrakosol wrote:
>
>> "B.Server" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> <snip>
>>
>>> If you have other recommendations, I would very much appreciate
>>> reading them. If you have some particular reason for recommending one
>>> over another, that too, is welcome.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> I would suggest The Elegant Taste of Thailand. That was the cookbook my
>> father turned to most often when looking for
>> ideas/inspirations/starting-points (he was born and raised in
>> Thailand, and
>> was an excellent cook). He thought it was closest to his own style of
>> cooking (royal Thai) and to the flavours he remembered.
>>
>> It Rains Fishes is good, as well, and though I've never looked at it, I
>> think Cracking the Coconut is probably good (based on what I've seen
>> of the
>> author on cooking shows).
>>
>> rona
>>
>

"KR" > wrote in message
s.com...
> While we're discussing cookbooks, what's the verdict on _Vatch's Thai
> Street Food_ by Vatcharin Bhumichitr? I know that different people here
> have diverging opinions on Bhumachitr's cookery writing.


Yeah, I'm not so fond of Vatch. The text portion of _Vatch's SE Asian
Cookbook_ is great, but the recipes aren't too well written. Maybe I should
take another look though. In general, I don't like Pan-Asian or Pan-SEAsian
cookbooks...


Frankly lacking
> the travel experience and cooking hours to judge, myself, still I was a
bit
> turned off my initial enthusuasm when I noticed the facile substitution
> of lemon for lime juice in the recipes. That's something I have strong
> feelings about. Anyway...


I know, totally! I hate when they do that! I dislike lemons, except in
desserts. Lemons no good. Maybe that's why I'm not so fond of Greek
food...

Anyway, thanks for mentioning the book, since I didn't realize it was out.
Any other good new books out there for Christmas-time?

Peter





>
> krnntp
>
> Rona Yuthasastrakosol wrote:
>
> > "B.Server" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > <snip>
> >
> >>If you have other recommendations, I would very much appreciate
> >>reading them. If you have some particular reason for recommending one
> >>over another, that too, is welcome.
> >>
> >>Thanks,
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> > I would suggest The Elegant Taste of Thailand. That was the cookbook my
> > father turned to most often when looking for
> > ideas/inspirations/starting-points (he was born and raised in Thailand,
and
> > was an excellent cook). He thought it was closest to his own style of
> > cooking (royal Thai) and to the flavours he remembered.
> >
> > It Rains Fishes is good, as well, and though I've never looked at it, I
> > think Cracking the Coconut is probably good (based on what I've seen of
the
> > author on cooking shows).
> >
> > rona
> >
>
>

I just bought a cookbook called, Keo's Thai Cuisine...has anyone heard of
it??? The recipes look delicious. He is a chef in Hawaii.

"B.Server" > wrote in message
...
> On Wed, 10 Dec 2003 11:18:36 -0700, "Aria" >
> wrote:
>
> >What kind of conditions are needed to grow kaffir limes? Do they grow
> >quickly?
> >
>
> I have one kaffir lime grown from a cutting. It lives in a 30Gal
> nursery container, outdoors from roughly mid-March to Mid-November and
> in a cool greenhouse through the winter. This tree flowers and sets
> fruit most years, yielding 20-35 fruit per year. As mentioned by KR,
> since one uses the leaves more than the fruit, flowering is a bonus,
> not a requirement.
>
> From the fruit of this tree I have started around 40 other trees and
> at least one person to whom I sent a ripe fruit started another 35 or
> so. (from a single fruit, giving a clue as to why they are not used
> much for cooking; -too seedy) Most of these I have given away or
> occasionally lost due to small pots, intense sun, and mechanical
> failures while I travel.
>
> Last year I moved a seed-grown, 7 year old Kaffir from a 5gallon to a
> 30 gallon container. It grew about 20'' up and 18" out over the
> summer. I will be keeping it in the greenhouse this winter in the
> hopes that it will flower; my first from seed.
>
> My older tree has experienced 25 degree weather outside under the
> shade of a live oak. There was some minor tip burn, but no lasting
> damage. When my current crop of seedlings get bigger, I intend to
> plant one in the ground as an experiment and give one to a friend who
> will plant it in bottom land a few miles from here.
>
> The seedlings I planted in mid August are about 5 inches high, with 8
> or so leaves. I would expect them to be a foot tall by next August,
> depending on watering and size of container.
>
> There are several web sources for kaffirs. If you live in the US in a
> citrus producing state, (basically the Gulf Coast plus California) you
> will probably have to buy locally, as KR mentioned. All of the
> growing states have quarantine regulations for citrus stock.
>
> The seed grown kaffirs have ferocious thorns, making them a real (and
> literal) pain in the butt to keep in a greenhouse over winter.
>
> Forgot to mention that I live in Central Texas where the weather is
> rather variable. (It is by no means unusual to have temperatures of
> either single digits or the high 90s in January, often within a couple
> of week period. Triple digit highs are common in July/August/Sept
> Oddly we get about the same amount of rain as Seattle (~32in/year);
> the difference being that we usually get ours in 3-7in quanta)
>
> The fresh leaves do wonders for Thai food and other things as well.
>
>

>"B.Server" > wrote

>> I have one kaffir lime grown from a cutting. It lives in a 30Gal
>> nursery container, outdoors from roughly mid-March to Mid-November and
>> in a cool greenhouse through the winter. This tree flowers and sets
>> fruit most years, yielding 20-35 fruit per year. As mentioned by KR,
>> since one uses the leaves more than the fruit, flowering is a bonus,
>> not a requirement.
>>
>> From the fruit of this tree I have started around 40 other trees and
>> at least one person to whom I sent a ripe fruit started another 35 or
>> so. (from a single fruit, giving a clue as to why they are not used
>> much for cooking; -too seedy) Most of these I have given away or
>> occasionally lost due to small pots, intense sun, and mechanical
>> failures while I travel.

I have had rotten luck trying to grow citrus from seed. Recently read
the seeds should be planted immediately after extraction, not allowed
to dry out. What is your method? Temperature? Light? Planting medium?

On Fri, 12 Dec 2003 13:04:34 GMT, Frogleg > wrote:

>
>>"B.Server" > wrote
>
>>> I have one kaffir lime grown from a cutting. It lives in a 30Gal
>>> nursery container, outdoors from roughly mid-March to Mid-November and
>>> in a cool greenhouse through the winter. This tree flowers and sets
>>> fruit most years, yielding 20-35 fruit per year. As mentioned by KR,
>>> since one uses the leaves more than the fruit, flowering is a bonus,
>>> not a requirement.

Out of curiosity, what is the fruit more like - a "regular" lime or an
key lime? Is it especially aromatic? Sweet v sour?

> Out of curiosity, what is the fruit more like - a "regular" lime or an
> key lime? Is it especially aromatic? Sweet v sour?

Kaffir limes are a little bigger than regular limes. Their skin is very
lumpy. They have a lot of seeds and not much pulp. The juice is not
notably different from regular lime juice.

The most notable thing about kaffir limes is their rind. It's very
aromatic and is often used in Thai curry pastes. The rind is so aromatic
that I saw them used as air fresheners when I visited Thailand over ten
years ago.

--
- Jeff Lichtman
Author, Baseball for Rookies
http://baseball-for-rookies.com/

On Fri, 12 Dec 2003 13:04:34 GMT, Frogleg > wrote:

>
>>"B.Server" > wrote
>
>>> I have one kaffir lime grown from a cutting. It lives in a 30Gal
>>> nursery container, outdoors from roughly mid-March to Mid-November and
>>> in a cool greenhouse through the winter. This tree flowers and sets
>>> fruit most years, yielding 20-35 fruit per year. As mentioned by KR,
>>> since one uses the leaves more than the fruit, flowering is a bonus,
>>> not a requirement.
>>>
>>> From the fruit of this tree I have started around 40 other trees and
>>> at least one person to whom I sent a ripe fruit started another 35 or
>>> so. (from a single fruit, giving a clue as to why they are not used
>>> much for cooking; -too seedy) Most of these I have given away or
>>> occasionally lost due to small pots, intense sun, and mechanical
>>> failures while I travel.
>
>I have had rotten luck trying to grow citrus from seed. Recently read
>the seeds should be planted immediately after extraction, not allowed
>to dry out. What is your method? Temperature? Light? Planting medium?

I generally leave the fruit on the tree until it is fully ripe. In
the case of the kaffir limes, they begin to turn a light yellow. As
others have mentioned, the kaffir lime is very, very "seedy", having
as many as 30-40 seeds per golfball-sized fruit. To recover the seeds
with the least damage, I cut the fruit from "pole to pole" rather than
"equatorially" and extract the seeds mostly by squeezing and digging
with a teaspoon.

The first seeds I started were placed in damp potting mix (I had some
called "Metro-mix" that is a type of soilless mix for nurseries) and
placed in a ziplock bag where I could inspect them. Thereafter, I
simply planted them 1/2 deep in 6-packs. Germination seems to be
quite dependent on the temperature. This year the first group
sprouted in 5-6 days. The second in about 14 days.

[The plastic bag routine works for a lot of things. I have three date
palms grown from pips in supermarket dates that were started in bags
on top of the hot water heater. Also good for picky peppers like
Habaneros that want very warm soil for germination ...]

I have never tried to dry and preserve the lime's seeds, so I don't
know that it would not work. Fresh seed works reliably for me. I
seem to recall that some citrus do not actually propagate from a
fertilized egg but rather from tissue that is associated with the
reproductive organs. This implies that the new plant will be true to
the parent (as there is no resorting of the genome) and might also
mean that if the seed is dried, this tissue would die. I would have
to find a textbook to recover the term for this form of reproduction.

I sent a whole, ripe, lime to a fellow grower in E. Texas who squeezed
the fruit and grew 30+ plants.

There is a group/club of exotic fruit growers whose name I cannot
recall at the moment. They have a photo contest for members each
year. You can probably find it with a web search. Anyway, they have
a wealth of information on the propagation and care of tropical fruit.
Of course since most of them live in Hawaii or SoCal, they have some
advantages. There are, however, exceptions. I recall that one photo
contest winner was from Helsinki, Finland; -not citrus country by a
thousand miles and more.

cheers

On Fri, 12 Dec 2003 16:41:12 -0500, Cape Cod Bob
> wrote:

>On Fri, 12 Dec 2003 13:04:34 GMT, Frogleg > wrote:
>
>>
>>>"B.Server" > wrote
>>
>>>> I have one kaffir lime grown from a cutting. It lives in a 30Gal
>>>> nursery container, outdoors from roughly mid-March to Mid-November and
>>>> in a cool greenhouse through the winter. This tree flowers and sets
>>>> fruit most years, yielding 20-35 fruit per year. As mentioned by KR,
>>>> since one uses the leaves more than the fruit, flowering is a bonus,
>>>> not a requirement.
>
>Out of curiosity, what is the fruit more like - a "regular" lime or an
>key lime? Is it especially aromatic? Sweet v sour?

About the size of a golf ball. Round rather than "lemon-shaped" with
a sort of lumpy or warty rind. The rind is thicker than key or
Mexican limes. It is bright green turning to a light yellow when
completely ripe. Very, very seedy with relatively little juice. The
juice tastes pretty much like other fresh lime juice. The rind is
very aromatic, as are the leaves. Both are commonly used in SEA
cooking, particularly Thai. The warty nature of the rind makes it
harder to get pith-free zest.

cheers.

On Fri, 12 Dec 2003 13:04:34 GMT, Frogleg > wrote:

>
>>"B.Server" > wrote
>
>>> I have one kaffir lime grown from a cutting. It lives in a 30Gal
>>> nursery container, outdoors from roughly mid-March to Mid-November and
>>> in a cool greenhouse through the winter. This tree flowers and sets
>>> fruit most years, yielding 20-35 fruit per year. As mentioned by KR,
>>> since one uses the leaves more than the fruit, flowering is a bonus,
>>> not a requirement.
>>>
>>> From the fruit of this tree I have started around 40 other trees and
>>> at least one person to whom I sent a ripe fruit started another 35 or
>>> so. (from a single fruit, giving a clue as to why they are not used
>>> much for cooking; -too seedy) Most of these I have given away or
>>> occasionally lost due to small pots, intense sun, and mechanical
>>> failures while I travel.
>
>I have had rotten luck trying to grow citrus from seed. Recently read
>the seeds should be planted immediately after extraction, not allowed
>to dry out. What is your method? Temperature? Light? Planting medium?

Group whose name I could not recall is CRFG (California Rare Fruit
Growers) See www.cfrg.org.

Peter Dy wrote:
>
> "KR" > wrote in message
> s.com...
> > While we're discussing cookbooks, what's the verdict on _Vatch's Thai
> > Street Food_ by Vatcharin Bhumichitr? I know that different people here
> > have diverging opinions on Bhumachitr's cookery writing.
>
> Yeah, I'm not so fond of Vatch. The text portion of _Vatch's SE Asian
> Cookbook_ is great, but the recipes aren't too well written. Maybe I should
> take another look though. In general, I don't like Pan-Asian or Pan-SEAsian
> cookbooks...

Hum, his book on Thai vegetarian cooking doesn't use substitutes like
lemon juice for lime, and finding the ingredients for some of the
recipes was a challenge. I never had any trouble following the
directions in that book, and the results were delcious. The Thai
restaurants round these parts are more like
much-better-Chinese-restaurants-than-the-chinese-restaurants.
blacksalt

On Sat, 13 Dec 2003 18:24:13 GMT, B.Server
> wrote:

>On Fri, 12 Dec 2003 13:04:34 GMT, Frogleg > wrote:
>>
>>>"B.Server" > wrote
>>
>>>> From the fruit of this tree I have started around 40 other trees and
>>>> at least one person to whom I sent a ripe fruit started another 35 or
>>>> so. (from a single fruit, giving a clue as to why they are not used
>>>> much for cooking; -too seedy) Most of these I have given away or
>>>> occasionally lost due to small pots, intense sun, and mechanical
>>>> failures while I travel.
>>
>>I have had rotten luck trying to grow citrus from seed. Recently read
>>the seeds should be planted immediately after extraction, not allowed
>>to dry out. What is your method? Temperature? Light? Planting medium?
>
>I generally leave the fruit on the tree until it is fully ripe. In
>the case of the kaffir limes, they begin to turn a light yellow. As
>others have mentioned, the kaffir lime is very, very "seedy", having
>as many as 30-40 seeds per golfball-sized fruit. To recover the seeds
>with the least damage, I cut the fruit from "pole to pole" rather than
>"equatorially" and extract the seeds mostly by squeezing and digging
>with a teaspoon.

<snipped excellent and detailed information>

Thank you. I try and grow a lot of things from seeds or tubers (not a
cutting expert) just for the fun of it. A kaffir lime sounds like a
project much more worthwhile than many 'I'll just see if I can make it
grow' entertainments. Although, I gotta say peanuts are *extremely*
entertaining. I will be on the lookout for kaffir limes -- fruit or
plant.

On Sun, 14 Dec 2003 14:28:27 GMT, Frogleg > wrote:

>On Sat, 13 Dec 2003 18:24:13 GMT, B.Server
> wrote:
>
>>On Fri, 12 Dec 2003 13:04:34 GMT, Frogleg > wrote:
>>>
>>>>"B.Server" > wrote
>>>
[...]
>
>Thank you. I try and grow a lot of things from seeds or tubers (not a
>cutting expert) just for the fun of it. A kaffir lime sounds like a
>project much more worthwhile than many 'I'll just see if I can make it
>grow' entertainments. Although, I gotta say peanuts are *extremely*
>entertaining. I will be on the lookout for kaffir limes -- fruit or
>plant.

If there are any Thai or Vietnamese groceries around, you might check
there. That is were I found my first plant.

On 14 Dec 2003 23:10:07 GMT, wrote:

>Frogleg > wrote:
>> []I will be on the lookout for kaffir limes -- fruit or plant.
>
>What part of which country are you in?

SE Virginia -- 'Tidewater.' There's one small Korean store within my
reach that has some veg. Must check for limes. I don't drive over the
bridge/tunnel to Norfolk/Va Beach, more's the pity. Can make it up to
Williamsburg on a good day. :-)

B.Server wrote:
>
> Group whose name I could not recall is CRFG (California Rare Fruit
> Growers) See www.cfrg.org.

They have a great magazine, too, if you are into fruit and pushing
the envelope of what will grow in the U.S. ... last year there was an
interesting feature on dragonfruit; they also had a really interesting
article on Japaenese persimmons.

Best - krnntp

B.Server wrote:

> On Fri, 12 Dec 2003 16:41:12 -0500, Cape Cod Bob
> > wrote:
>
>
>>On Fri, 12 Dec 2003 13:04:34 GMT, Frogleg > wrote:
>>
>>
>>>>"B.Server" > wrote
>>>
>>>>>I have one kaffir lime grown from a cutting. It lives in a 30Gal
>>>>>nursery container, outdoors from roughly mid-March to Mid-November and
>>>>>in a cool greenhouse through the winter. This tree flowers and sets
>>>>>fruit most years, yielding 20-35 fruit per year. As mentioned by KR,
>>>>>since one uses the leaves more than the fruit, flowering is a bonus,
>>>>>not a requirement.
>>
>>Out of curiosity, what is the fruit more like - a "regular" lime or an
>>key lime? Is it especially aromatic? Sweet v sour?
>
>
> About the size of a golf ball. Round rather than "lemon-shaped" with
> a sort of lumpy or warty rind. The rind is thicker than key or
> Mexican limes. It is bright green turning to a light yellow when
> completely ripe. Very, very seedy with relatively little juice. The
> juice tastes pretty much like other fresh lime juice. The rind is
> very aromatic, as are the leaves. Both are commonly used in SEA
> cooking, particularly Thai. The warty nature of the rind makes it
> harder to get pith-free zest.
>
> cheers.

I think the juice has a slight bitter aftertaste, and if you make
limeade it has a hint of that "kaffir lime" flavour - but like
B.Server says, you really don't get much juice for the lime. It
seems like it is mainly pith.

Best - krnntp

kalanamak wrote:

> Peter Dy wrote:
>
>>"KR" > wrote in message
ews.com...
>>
>>>While we're discussing cookbooks, what's the verdict on _Vatch's Thai
>>>Street Food_ by Vatcharin Bhumichitr? I know that different people here
>>>have diverging opinions on Bhumachitr's cookery writing.
>>
>>Yeah, I'm not so fond of Vatch. The text portion of _Vatch's SE Asian
>>Cookbook_ is great, but the recipes aren't too well written. Maybe I should
>>take another look though. In general, I don't like Pan-Asian or Pan-SEAsian
>>cookbooks...
>
>
> Hum, his book on Thai vegetarian cooking doesn't use substitutes like
> lemon juice for lime, and finding the ingredients for some of the
> recipes was a challenge. I never had any trouble following the
> directions in that book, and the results were delcious. The Thai
> restaurants round these parts are more like
> much-better-Chinese-restaurants-than-the-chinese-restaurants.
> blacksalt

Well, I have taken the plunge and will find out (post-Christmas) how
_Vatch's Thai Street Food_ works out.

Christmas presents from oneself to oneself selling point two -
There's never any offended party if you don't like your present,

Best - krnntp

Someone asked about Keo's Thai Cuisine, which I have. Lovely pictures
(cookbooks without color photos are useless), but I think the recipes
are a little "dumbed-down," "Americanized," whatever. I.e., I looked
up a recipe for "beef with basil" I ate last week and it is exactly
the same as chicken with basil, and calls for sweet basil. He also
seems to favor cabbage (variety unspecified) as a base for serving.
Which isn't a bad thing, but not very Thai, I think. A somewhat odd
mix of adaptation for commonly-available ingredients (cabbage) and
hard-to-find ones (Kaffir lime leaves). Perhaps Hawaii has these close
to hand.

You may like to try this link which leads to a virtual online Thai Cookery
book.

http://www.users.bigpond.com/catch22...thaiposts.html

On Tue, 16 Dec 2003 09:11:24 -0000, "Steven Grace"
> wrote:

>You may like to try this link which leads to a virtual online Thai Cookery
>book.
>
>http://www.users.bigpond.com/catch22...thaiposts.html

Thank you. I have bookmarked it.

Frogleg wrote:
> On 14 Dec 2003 23:10:07 GMT, wrote:
>
>
>>Frogleg > wrote:
>>
>>>[]I will be on the lookout for kaffir limes -- fruit or plant.
>>
>>What part of which country are you in?
>
>
> SE Virginia -- 'Tidewater.' There's one small Korean store within my
> reach that has some veg. Must check for limes. I don't drive over the
> bridge/tunnel to Norfolk/Va Beach, more's the pity. Can make it up to
> Williamsburg on a good day. :-)

I live in Shenandoah Valley and mail ordered two one-year-old kaffir
lime trees from Four Winds Growers (I think thats the name) last
spring. They grew beautifully and fast over the summer and I had way
more leaves than I knew what to do with. I pinched the flowers off so
they wouldn't fruit so young. I have no idea if they actually would
have or not.

I took them indoors along with all my other herbs for the winter and
had some problems with scale. A couple applications of horticultural
oil seemed to do the trick. Unfortunately, I forgot them outside for
a few nights (in the snow no less) after the last application and now
they are dead. Expensive lesson. But wanted to tell you they were
growing fine before that out here.

Actually, I won't know whether they're completely dead until next
spring. But if they live I'll consider it a miracle.

Next time I won't run inside to finish laundry or pick up the phone
or whatever I did that distracted me while the oil was drying.

"Frogleg" > wrote in message
...
> Someone asked about Keo's Thai Cuisine, which I have. Lovely pictures
> (cookbooks without color photos are useless), but I think the recipes
> are a little "dumbed-down," "Americanized," whatever. I.e., I looked
> up a recipe for "beef with basil" I ate last week and it is exactly
> the same as chicken with basil, and calls for sweet basil. He also
> seems to favor cabbage (variety unspecified) as a base for serving.
> Which isn't a bad thing, but not very Thai, I think.

At the risk of re-opening the authenticity debate and admitting total
ignorance of this particular cookbook, the cabbage might not be as
inauthentic as you think. In Thailand, I've seen many dishes served with raw
cabbage, long beans and chile sauce, and the diner takes portions of each to
eat together in one bite from the spoon.

I don't know enough to know if this is regional, our country-style, or what,
but maybe that's what Keo is working from.

Anyone?

Amalia

On Fri, 19 Dec 2003 21:05:55 GMT, "amalia"
> wrote:

>"Frogleg" > wrote

>> Someone asked about Keo's Thai Cuisine, ...
>> He also
>> seems to favor cabbage (variety unspecified) as a base for serving.
>> Which isn't a bad thing, but not very Thai, I think.
>
>At the risk of re-opening the authenticity debate and admitting total
>ignorance of this particular cookbook, the cabbage might not be as
>inauthentic as you think. In Thailand, I've seen many dishes served with raw
>cabbage, long beans and chile sauce, and the diner takes portions of each to
>eat together in one bite from the spoon.
>
>I don't know enough to know if this is regional, our country-style, or what,
>but maybe that's what Keo is working from.

Frankly, I was delighted with the inclusion of cabbage. It's cheap and
readily available. Keo's book seems to present it as more a 'bed' for
some dishes, instead of rice or noodles, rather than a
side-dish/condiment. Is this cabbage/bean/chile combo cooked or
marinated in any way, or presented fresh?
>
>Anyone?