Locomotoring

While the leaves of this thai citrus are broadly usable – from perfuming the plain rice to perfuming rich coconut curries, the fruit is challenging. Small as golf balls, and almost equally hard when green, they do look non-conforming with their bumpy, warty skins. They yield very little juice and for most part, they are astringent and bitter. Far more bitter than bitter orange. In a prior year, I salt cured the makrut lime fruit and used the cured lime in Indian style cooked pickle i.e., lots of ginger and green chilies. A friend gave us vodka cured makrut that we have been muddling in our cocktails. Most years, I let the fruit ripen and use its juice. The act of ripening reduces the astringency of the juice. Here was my attempt to wrangle the fruit this season.