Do curry leaves taste like curry?
Nope. Not exactly. Well, actually, not at all. Native to India and from a tree called Murraya koenigii, these pointy, slender, fine leaves have a complex citrusy, somewhat earthy and fragrant flavour that’s unlike anything else. Also cultivated in other parts of Asia, Africa, and Australia, curry leaf trees can be found in home gardens, farms, and even in the wild, in forests.
They’re called ‘curry leaves’ because they’re used in curry-type dishes, especially in Southern Indian and Malaysian cooking. They have a distinctive, slightly bitter aroma too and once you start using them, you’ll be hooked. There’s nothing else quite like them.
Curry leaves are generally used at the beginning of the cooking process when they are sizzled in oil with other spices like mustard seeds, dried chillies and turmeric, in order to release their flavour. Or, a similar sizzled mixture is drizzled over a finished dish, hot and sizzling from the pan. In Indian cooking, this mixture is called a tadka and it’s a common way to finish a dish. Try either approach when making dishes such as dhal or curries, savoury popcorn, or fried fish or chicken dishes. Curry leaves are also used to flavour snacks and appetisers like pakoras and vadas and is the main ingredient in a spice mix called karivepaku podi. Consisting of curry leaves, lentils, and spices like chilli and asafoetida roasted together in oil then ground to a powder, it’s used to season a variety of South Indian dishes, including curries, idli, upma and rice to add depth. Curry leaves are not really served raw as a garnish as they’re kind of chewy and not so flavoursome used that way.
Look for curry leaves at any Indian food store or green grocer. If you have to buy more than you need, they last quite well in a zip-lock bag in the fridge; they’ll be good for 2 weeks. They also freeze well; although they will lose some of their fresh zing, in a pinch frozen curry leaves are way better than no curry leaves.
