Kaffir Lime Leaf makes Thai Shrimp Cakes, 泰式虾饼

Kaffir lime leaf is like twins - identical yet different. I'm talking about the two leaves joined together: one leaf is oval and longer compared to the upper section. Together, the leaves are several inches long (though they can come in various sizes). When fresh, these leaves are shiny and bright green, rich with natural oils *rub rub* ....*smell your fingers*

While sometimes you can find Kaffir Lime Leaves being sold fresh in the produce section of Asian/Chinese stores and markets, it is also likely to be found in the freezer section. Frozen Kaffir Lime Leaves keep quite well from several months to a year, and require minimal thawing before use (so this is a great way to keep them handy and available in your kitchen!). Of course, the aroma from fresh leaves is still the best. When I found Kaffir Lime Leaves (where the rest of the herby stuff can be found) in my local Whole Foods at Cupertino and Mountain, my...was I happy for that whole day. I can make this...I will do that. Yay! So what did I make? This!

Easy-to-make, delicious-to-eat Thai Shrimp Cakes!


Note 1: Whole lime leaves are not meant to be eaten, but merely added for extra flavor and aroma -be sure to warn your guests about this if you have cooked them a stew or curry, or there will be a lot jaw exercising going on! Else, remove whole leaves after cooking and surely, this will be much more pleasurable for the guests.

Note 2: If intended to be consumed, be sure to finely mince the leaves so that it does not become such a chore biting the leaves while chewing the food. I had to do that in the Thai Shrimp Cakes.

Sending off the aroma of kaffir lime leaf to Katie from Eat This! who is the host for Weekend Herb Blogging this week.


Do you like Thai food? You can check out more about pattaya restaurant at my sidebar links (bottom of blog)

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47 comments:

  1. kirbie4/12/10, 10:08 AM

    I've never used this before! How interesting. Cupertino and Mountain? I just realized you live near my parents. Which reminds me, I have a huge backlog of restaurant posts from my last few visits eating with my parents.

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  2. sweetlife4/12/10, 12:56 PM

    I love the fish cakes...how wonderful to be able to keep these in the freezer..I am going to look for these...


    sweetlife

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  3. Juliana4/12/10, 2:11 PM

    Oh! I seen this leaves in soup :-) Love the shrimp cakes...looks delicious!

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  4. Tuty @Scentofspice4/12/10, 6:29 PM

    Kaffir lime leaves are indispensable in Indonesian cuisine too. The shrimp cakes look very tasty.

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  5. Noob Cook4/12/10, 8:54 PM

    looks great! u posting recipe for this? I love the fragrance of kaffir lime leaves too :)

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  6. Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover4/12/10, 9:18 PM

    My family love kaffir lime add to any dish, but I never cook this way before, this look so yummy, must try this one day. thanks for sharing.

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  7. Indonesia Eats4/12/10, 9:47 PM

    I'm so happy. One the newest Asian store in Winnipeg carries fresh kaffir lime leaves since I used to get the dried or frozen ones.

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  8. Angie's Recipes4/12/10, 10:02 PM

    Never seen the fresh kaffir lime leaves before....the shrimp cutlets look simply gorgeous with that natural shiny top.

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  9. Unknown4/12/10, 11:55 PM

    hey smell absolutely heavenly. hmmm~ inhale inhale...

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  10. Pete4/12/10, 11:58 PM

    Mmmm, shrimp cake, full of natural sweetness....nice with the aromatic kaffir lime leaves!

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  11. lisaiscooking4/13/10, 5:43 AM

    Delicious! I love the flavors in Thai shrimp cakes, and yours look fantastic!

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  12. Fearless Kitchen4/13/10, 6:35 AM

    These shrimp cakes look delicious. I really enjoy the aroma of kaffir lime leaves when I can get them.

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  13. Food For Tots4/13/10, 7:47 AM

    Love the aroma of kaffir lime leaves. I always use them to make patties. Your Thai shrimp cakes look very inviting! Can send some over here too?

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  14. Little Corner of Mine4/13/10, 8:16 AM

    Looks delicious! I like the flavor of kaffir lime leaves too, so fragrant.

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  15. Cynthia4/13/10, 8:42 AM

    Ooooh these look so good! I love shrimp cakes! I've been meaning to make them because I have some really great recipes and seeing these delicious looking ones are making me crave them now! Might just have to put them on next week's menu! :)

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  16. Pam4/13/10, 8:55 AM

    These shrimp cakes look amazing. I love the flavor of kaffir lime leaves.

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  17. Ms. Meanie4/13/10, 2:56 PM

    Those cakes look scrumptious!

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  18. tasteofbeirut4/13/10, 3:16 PM

    I felt like you when I first got some: elated! luckily I have a whole slew of Thai and Korean and Vietnamese stores nearby. Love the shrimp cakes, so much flavor!

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  19. Anh4/13/10, 4:02 PM

    I've made a similar fish cake. The flavours with shrimps must be even better!

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  20. Reeni4/13/10, 5:19 PM

    What a delicious looking fish cake! So golden brown and crispy. Totally delicious!

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  21. tigerfish4/13/10, 6:21 PM

    kirbie, I don't stay in either of these cities but nearby ;p

    sweetlife, will be a great find for you, I hope.

    Julianna, yes...tom yum soup!

    tuty, oh yes...Indonesian cuisine too.

    wiffy, I will say more about the recipe in upcoming posts ;p

    Sonia, I wish to use if more often in more dishes.

    Indonesia-eats, FRESH best!

    Angie, do you get frozen or dried ones over there?

    rita....inhale inhale, air is free lol!

    pete, yes...natural shrimp taste. I like it.

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  22. tigerfish4/13/10, 6:25 PM

    lisa, thanks.

    fearless kitchen, is it easy to get them over there?

    food for tots, the next time i make maybe and make sure I have to be in SGP if not will not be fresh when they reach you...lol!

    LCOM, love the smell! When I was finely mincing/chopping the leaves, so much aroma!

    Cynthia, make them NOW! :)

    Pam, it makes food quite distinctive in a way....

    msmeanie, have you tried them before?

    tasteofbeirut, you know how I felt, yea...

    anh, i prefer shrimp cos the texture is much more springy. For fish, I have to make sure to get the right type of fish.

    Cinnamon-girl, it is really yummy.

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  23. Babe_KL4/13/10, 8:23 PM

    I absolutely love this leaf and I'm so lucky my dad has a big plant at home :D

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  24. LifeRamblings4/13/10, 11:56 PM

    looks sinfully delicious. i could even smell the aromatic cakes from here. Happy WW!

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  25. Sreisaat Adventures4/14/10, 3:01 AM

    I love Kaffir leaves too. It's always present in most samlor dishes in Cambodia.

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  26. Sreisaat Adventures4/14/10, 3:02 AM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  27. Sreisaat Adventures4/14/10, 3:03 AM

    Tigerfish, apologies for the double-posting. Kindly delete the duplicate as I could not do it myself. *sheepish*

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  28. tigerfish4/14/10, 3:20 AM

    babe_kl, i am so jealous of the plant you have ;p

    sreissat adventures, i have removed the duplicate :) ...looks like kaffir is a very popular herb around this region.

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  29. Little Inbox4/14/10, 6:05 AM

    I like the smell of Kaffir lime leave. Sure will add it to home cooked curry.

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  30. Anonymous4/14/10, 6:24 AM

    Sounds like I need a trip to Whole Foods to get these wonderfully aromatic Kaffir lime leaves! The shrimp cakes look totally scrumptious!

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  31. Trissa4/14/10, 9:02 AM

    I've for a kaffir tree so am lucky to always have fresh ones but my sister constantly comes over to get fresh ones. I'll let her know of this freezing tip!

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  32. Unknown4/14/10, 11:32 AM

    Tiga - I wonder how it tastes if adding long beans, like Thai fish cakes. I think will be alright. BTW, have you noticed that in Asia, our kafffir lime leaves are younger, lighter green in color and even more aromatic. Growing up, we always have a tree outside that we just pluck whenever we need it. The ones here are very old, big dark green leaves, I think it's different species.

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  33. MaryMoh4/14/10, 1:02 PM

    Those lime leaves are very fragrant. I love to smell it. I love to add in many dishes...give beautiful flavour. But sometimes it's difficult to get here. Love your fish cakes. Would be so good with some chili sauce as dip....mmmm

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  34. Joanne4/14/10, 1:53 PM

    I have yet to find frozen kaffir lime leaves, only dry ones (which I promptly bought!). They definitely make Thai cuisine amazing! These shrimp patties look so delicious!

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  35. Katie4/14/10, 3:25 PM

    Those shrimp cakes look tasty! Thanks for submitting to WHB!

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  36. tigerfish4/14/10, 5:59 PM

    Little Inbox, you put that in any type of curry or Thai-style curry?

    5 star foodie, hope you find it!

    trissa, you are so lucky! how did you manage to get it planted? maybe i can start growing the plant...*sheepish*

    Beeyinn, adding long beans shd be good...another depth of flavor and interplay of textures. Yum yum...
    Yes...in Asia, even the curry leaves are smaller and more aromatic :P

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  37. tigerfish4/14/10, 6:01 PM

    Mary, yes...but I did not make any dip. ;O

    Joanne, at least there are dried ones you have.

    Katie, thanks for hosting. Looking forward to the round up :)

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  38. Crepes of Wrath4/15/10, 5:12 AM

    I was just sent some vodka samples with kaffir lime leaves and told to bite the leaf before tasting the vodka. It's an amazing taste!

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  39. tigerfish4/15/10, 5:36 AM

    crepes of wrath, in vodka? how interesting. do you like the taste? time to use these leaves in your cooking ;)

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  40. Cynthia4/15/10, 3:32 PM

    Ummm, love the smell of kaffir lime leaves.

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  41. Joy4/15/10, 3:36 PM

    Kaffir lime leaves are out of this world!! And these Thai Shrimp Cakes look delectable -- yum yum yum!

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  42. OysterCulture4/15/10, 8:19 PM

    Oh I love kaffir leaves and this recipe for shrimp cakes sounds amazing. I will have to make these beauties soon!

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  43. tigerfish4/16/10, 1:09 AM

    cynthia, *inhale* together....

    Joy, indeed they are :)

    oysterculture, they are surprisingly easy to make

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  44. Pei-Lin4/16/10, 8:20 AM

    I can perfectly understand what you mean! I got all wild and excited when I bumped into some "rare" spices and ingredients when I was in Minnesota back then! *LOL*

    Thai shrimp cakes, that's a good way to put the precious kaffir leaves to a good use ... My mom's garden has plenty of the leaves ... Hahaha ...! Can pick them anytime I want. ;P

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  45. Janet@ Gourmet Traveller 884/16/10, 2:16 PM

    I made Thai fish cakes once, can't believe that they are so easy to make. Great to use as finger food for parties.

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  46. tigerfish4/17/10, 7:40 PM

    Pei-lin, another one with THE tree...*envy*

    Janet, yep! The shrimp version is as easy.

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  47. Unknown10/31/10, 8:12 AM

    this looks sooo good! is there a recipe? :)

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