Maybe I can...

For one reason or another, I've tended to avoid making Asian food. I guess I find it a little intimidating... it's so fast and unforgiving. But tonight I broke with tradition and discovered one of the big benefits - it's kinda therapeutic. By the time I'd finely chopped onion, lemongrass, chilli, garlic, ginger, kaffir lime leaves (so VERY good), masses of mint and coriander, I was feeling pretty zen about nearly everything. Post withdrawal sickness - blah. Dress for bro and s.i.l.'s wedding delayed for approximately the sixth time - who cares? The tailor resembles no-one so much as Puss in Boots from Shrek 2 - I can live with that. The kitchen smells fantastic and I have lots of piles of colourful little cheffy goodness ready to be added to the heat. All of the above were cooked quickly with chicken mince and mixed up with fish sauce, sweet-chilli sauce, brown sugar and lime juice. Result: extremely peaceful state of mind and a meal good enough to make me think that maybe I can, and should, swing east, as well as west in the kitchen. 

I love limes and not just for their anti-scurvy properties. In useless information for the week, did you know that up to eight percent of the weight of a lime is citric acid? It's the most acidic citrus fruit and only one percent sugar. But wait, there's more!!* The kaffir in kaffir Lime (Ma krut in Thai) means 'unbeliever'. It's the citronellal (this originally comes from citronella) in kaffir lime leaves that give them flavour; McGee describes the particular flavour that this imparts as 'lemon-green'. I like that.

*recognising this reference will date you pretty effectively.