Lime
In cooking, lime is valued both for the acidity of its juice and the floral aroma of its zest. It is used in Key lime pie, a traditional Florida dessert, and is a very common ingredient in authentic Mexican, Southwestern American and Thai dishes. It is also used for its pickling properties in ceviche. The use of dried limes as a flavouring is typical of Persian cuisine.
Kaffir lime
The kaffir lime', also known as kieffer lime and limau purut is a type of lime native to Indonesia and Malaysia, commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine, and widely grown worldwide as a backyard shrub.
The kaffir lime is a rough, bumpy green fruit that grows on very thorny bush with aromatic and distinctively shaped "double" leaves. It is well suited to container growing. The green lime fruit is distinguished by its bumpy exterior and its small size (approx. 4 cm wide).
Other citrus fruits could be used in place of limes; lemons, grapefruit and oranges. In some instances, a white wine vinegar could be used instead. A bottle of lemon juice in the fridge is a good standby.
Removing the wax coating from limes
non organic citrus fruit is coated with a thin layer of wax (either petroleum based or natural), which prevents water loss and therefore extends the shelf life. Wax is also used for aesthetic reasons. Apparently, as consumers, we demand shiny fruit. Organic fruit is not waxed as that would not be permitted under organic standards.
Here are a couple of methods that you can use to remove wax from limes:
Boiling water
- Place fruit in a colander
- Boil a kettle & leave to cool for 5 minutes
- Pour over the fruit
- Using gloves to protect your hands from the heat, scrub the fruit with a small brush
- Rinse with cold water and wipe dry with paper towels
Microwave
- Microwave fruit for 10 seconds
- Using gloves to protect your hands from the heat, scrub the fruit with a small brush
- Rinse with cold water and wipe dry with paper towels
How much does one cup of lime flesh weigh?
Estimated US cup to weight equivalents:
| Ingredient | US Cups | Grams | Ounces |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limes / (flesh only) | 1 Cup | 225 g | 8 oz |
Conversion notes:
Every ingredient has a cups to ounces or grams conversion table. Search for the ingredient, cup to weight conversions are at the end of each ingredient page.
We also have a generic conversion table and a portions per person lookup.
Make lime juice from powder
I've recently discovered Taste Sensation's Lime JuicePowder which makes very nice lime juice. I originally used it in an emergency but found it so good that I now use it instead of lime juice!
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