FOR THAT CITRUSY KICK
The citronella-lime aroma of kaffir lime leaves gives tom yam its unique taste, writes Elaine Yim
leaf with two heart-shaped leaves joined together at the centre.
The flowers are borne in clusters. Each radially-symmetrical flower has between four to five petals and many stamens.
The fruit is dark green in colour, small and rounded measuring about 4cm in diameter. The skin is rough and bumpy. Ripe fruits are yellow in colour. Each fruit contains about 10-20 creamy white seeds.
USES
The fruit and leaves are aromatic. The scent is like a mix of citronella and lime. The fruit is not normally eaten fresh as the flesh is very sour and slightly bitter but the rind, zest and juice are often used in cooking. The leaves are harvested fresh and used to make tom yam.
The leaves are the most used part of the plant. Fresh leaves are used in sweet, sour and spicy dishes like steamed seafood, soups and curries in Southeast Asian cuisine. They can also be stored dried or frozen.
Freshly-squeezed fruit juice is used in cleansing rituals, floral baths and hair wash. The juice and peels are used in traditional remedies and beauty treatments.
HOW TO GROW
It is best grown on the ground or big container in your backyard, herb garden or orchard.
THE STEPS:
You can buy a sapling from local nurseries specialising in herbs plants or propagate one from seeds or grafting. When buying a sapling, select a healthy plant with strong fragrance and large leaves.
Full to partial sun.
Fertile, well-drained loamy soil that is not water-logged.
Moderate watering. Do not overwater as this will cause root rot.
Apply a balanced compound fertiliser once a fortnight or feed your plant with organic animal manure or compost.
Prune the plant to encourage new shoots and branches, also to make it more bushy.
Pronetoattack by the citrus leafminer (CLM/Phyllocnistis citrella) and cockchafer (doodlebug). It is a host plant for Atlas moths (Attacus atlas) and butterflies such as the Lime Butterfly (Papilio demoleus) and Common Mormon (Papilio polytes).
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