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Limes (Manao)

by Kasma Loha-unchit
Text Copyright © 1995 & 2000 Kasma Loha-unchit.

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See below for Recipes with Limes

Limes (Manao) Limes, and not lemons, are the main citrus that gives the sharp sour and zesty flavor that Thai people so love. The larger, thick-skinned, yellow lemon is a temperate-climate citrus and does not grow in tropical Thailand. There is, however, confusion in the use of English terminology among Thai people, and limes are erroneously referred to as "lemons" in Thailand. (The Thai word for lime is manao.) Perhaps the reason is: the first westerners to translate local language into English did not know what limes were and called them lemons since they are sour like lemons. As a result, "lemon" has stuck and "lime" does not exist in Thai people's English vocabulary; therefore, in present-day recipe exchanges with English-speaking peoples, the mistaken term "lemon" may be used. Limes do have a much more intensely sour and zesty flavor than lemons, and although they may be substituted with the latter, the results definitely lack the vigor that limes give to Thai dishes. So use fresh limes whenever possible, but avoid the pre-squeezed or bottled varieties, which lack freshness of flavor.

Thai limes are smaller than American limes, but they are packed with flavor and juice. They are also a little sweeter and more similar to key limes. When using the larger American limes, I frequently need to add a little sugar to invigorate their flavor to approximate Thai limes. Because limes can vary in degree of sourness, as well as juiciness, the best thing to do when working with a recipe calling for lime juice is to go by taste. Often it is not the amount you use, as some juicy limes may lack the intensity of flavor that other dryer limes may possess. With cooked dishes, add lime juice toward the end of cooking since the fresh flavor of lime and its sourness can simmer away; exceptions are cooked dishes in which it is a background flavor.

When buying limes, select ones with smooth, shiny skin and a good weight for their size. They should not be hard – there should be some give when squeezed to indicate ripeness and juiciness. To get more juice out of your limes, roll them on a hard surface, applying pressure to break the juice sacs. Some people let the limes sit in hot water for a few minutes to soften.

Text Copyright © 2000 Kasma Loha-unchit in Dancing Shrimp: Favorite Thai Recipes for Seafood. See pages 63.

This is just one of many listings in the "Alphabetical List of Ingredients" in chapter four (pages 49 to 73) of Dancing Shrimp: Favorite Thai Recipes for Seafood.

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Fresh Lime Juice (Nahm Manao)

Though many Thai cooks, cookbooks and restaurant menus say they use lemon juice in their recipes, they really mean lime juice. The larger yellow lemons are a temperate climate citrus and do not grow in hot tropical Thailand. The mix-up probably came about a long time ago when the Thai word for lime, manao, was mistranslated by official sources as "lemon," and the word has stuck in many people's vocabulary since.

For this reason, if you come across a jar of "pickled lemon" on the shelf of a Thai market near your home with the picture on the label clearly depicting green limes, don't think that they have made a mistake in the labeling. They have not. Limes are lemons in Thailand. This is good to know should you be planning a visit there. To order delicious limeade to quench your thirst on a hot afternoon by the beach, ask for lemon juice; "limeade" is likely to get you a quizzical look from the waiter and no ice-cold drink. Better yet, ask for nahm manao (literally "lime water"), but be prepared to taste salt in your Thai-style limeade, as salt enhances the flavor of lime juice and helps to replenish the large amount of salt you perspire out of your body in the tropical heat.

Thai limes are smaller in size than the limes sold in American supermarkets, but they are full of juice except during the hot dry months of the year (March through May). They are much more intensely sour, too, and half of one can do as much to flavor a sauce as a whole Western lime can. Therefore, it is advisable to rely on your taste buds to judge how much to use rather than follow a recipe amount exactly. A juicy lime that is not very sour can dilute a sauce and affect the quantities needed of other ingredients going into the sauce.

The fresh flavor and sharpness of lime juice dissipate as it is heated and cooked, so I usually add it toward the end of cooking if I wish to retain its original intensity. On the other hand, if I find I've added too much lime juice to my hot and sour soup, I let the soup simmer a couple of minutes longer than usual to correct the problem.

In addition to the flavor it imparts, lime juice has a tenderizing quality. Squid and rare meat, for instance, can become very tender and succulent from sitting in a lime sauce. Because of its tenderizing capability, lime juice has been used as a common folk remedy to dislodge a fish bone accidentally stuck in the throat. If this should happen to you, try gargling with lime juice or sucking on a piece of lime, slowly swallowing the juice. It can soften the bone sufficiently in a short while, such that downing a mouthful of rice or water afterward can push the bone away.

If fresh limes are not available during the cold months of the year in your area, lemons make an acceptable substitute, though they lack the intensity of smaller limes. But as you learn how to balance primary flavors, you will be able to increase the intensity of lemon juice by varying a dish's salty and sweet flavors.

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Recipes with Limes (Manao) : 
    Appetizers
       Tasty Leaf-wrapped Tidbits (Miang Kam)
    Soups
       Coconut Seafood Soup with Galanga (Dtom Kah Talay)
       Hot and Sour Prawn Soup (Dtom Yum Gkoong)
    Salads
       Green Papaya Salad (Som Dtam)
       Spicy Mesquite-Grilled Eggplant Salad (Yum Makeua Yao)
    Seafood Dishes
       Tiger Prawns Steamed with Garlic & Thai Chillies (Gkoong Neung Gkratiem)
    Vegetable Dishes
       Pan-Fried Mackerel and Assorted Vegetables with Hot-and-Pungent Fermented Shrimp Dipping Sauce (Nahm Prik Bplah Too)
    Noodles

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About this site
Text Copyright © Kasma Loha-unchit, 1995 in It Rains Fishes, and 2000 in Dancing Shrimp. All rights reserved.
Watercolor Copyright © 1995 Toby Goodenough. All rights reserved.
All material on this website is Copyright © 1995 to 2008 Kasma Loha-unchit. All rights reserved.
For comments, feedback or questions, contact Kasma.
Page added 1 June 2004. Last updated 1 December 2004.