Hi,

I have just got back from thailand and managed a few cooking classes
where i was introduced to a wide variety of ingredients i had never
heard of let alone expect to be able to buy fresh in the uk. I have
managed to find the likes of kaffir lime leaves and galangal but all
dried. Im hopeful that i may find galangal fresh but in regard to
using dried kaffir lime leaves do i just add them to the wok as i
would with fresh lime leaves? Im sure i may have been told to add them
later. How later if this is true? A few minutes before im finished?
Does it make any difference when i add them if i just added them when
i would normally add fresh? Im assuming the same concept would be
taken for any herb for any cuisine. Would be great is someone could
offer some advice as im eager to start cooking some thai. Cheers

Burnsy

> wrote:

> I have just got back from thailand and managed a few cooking classes
> where i was introduced to a wide variety of ingredients i had never
> heard of let alone expect to be able to buy fresh in the uk. I have
> managed to find the likes of kaffir lime leaves and galangal but all
> dried. Im hopeful that i may find galangal fresh but in regard to
> using dried kaffir lime leaves do i just add them to the wok as i
> would with fresh lime leaves? Im sure i may have been told to add them
> later. How later if this is true? A few minutes before im finished?
> Does it make any difference when i add them if i just added them when
> i would normally add fresh? Im assuming the same concept would be
> taken for any herb for any cuisine. Would be great is someone could
> offer some advice as im eager to start cooking some thai. Cheers

The answer is specific to each herb. Some retain their qualities when
used dried or reconstituted; others become nearly useless. In the case
of kaffir lime leaves and galangal, reconstituting them in lukewarm
water generally provides more-or-less satisfactory results.

You might also want to post your question on <news:alt.food.asian>.

Victor

wrote in news:1195077193.404493.272320
@v3g2000hsg.googlegroups.com:

> Im hopeful that i may find galangal fresh but in regard to
> using dried kaffir lime leaves do i just add them to the wok as i
> would with fresh lime leaves? Im sure i may have been told to add them
> later.


If anything, I'd add them earlier, as they need a little time to re-hydrate
before releasing their flavour. But for the most part, I believe I just
use them as I would fresh ones. Since I rarely follow recipes for curry
but rather make it up as I go along, I can't say whether it makes a
difference, sorry.

And I can totally sympathise with the difficulty finding ingredients. I'm
constantly seeking out those little white apple-sized eggplants and the
tiny green pea-sized ones. There are a few asian grocers here (Melbourne,
Australia) that have them from time to time, but they're not widely
available yet.

K