Soy-Kaffir Lime Syrup

Based on the author’s description, I was expecting this glaze to be a perfect balance of salty-sweet-sour with caramel undertones and the distinct flavour of lime. Instead, it was like an overly salty caramel with a slight tang. I couldn’t taste the lime at all, not from the kaffir lime leaves or the juice.

This may be an example of where substitutions, even if they are suggested by the author, or scaling back a recipe upsets the balance of flavours and just doesn’t work. I didn’t have kecap manis so used more soy sauce (extra salt and caramel flavour!) and sugar as directed. The master recipe makes a huge amount – a quantity I couldn’t possibly use in 2 weeks – so I made 1/8, enough to use in 1 or 2 recipes. In hindsight, perhaps I should have used more than 1 kaffir lime leaf, or added the zest of the limes I juiced for the recipe to boost that flavour.

I used it to make the glazed salmon with lime sushi rice.