Herbs & Spices

Curry Leaves / Kadi Patta

Curry leaves come from a plant of Indian origin Murraya Koenigii that grows wild in the Himalayan foothills as well as in many other parts of India, Northern Thailand and Sri Lanka. Each slender stalk of this tree can give up to 25 leaves. Although it has been cultivated on a small scale in private gardens in India for centuries, it only started to be commercially produced recently. Although available as dried leaves, it is much better to buy them fresh from Indian stores, where they may be labelled "Meetha Neem" or "Kari (sometime Kadhi) Patta". They can be frozen although they will keep in a refrigerator in an airtight bag for at least a week.

Although dried curry leaves have almost no flavour to them, fresh leaves, when bruised, are extremely aromatic. The leaves give off an intense spicy aroma with a citrus note and have a warm, pleasant and lemony taste that is faintly bitter.

Prior to use, curry leaves are detached from their stalk. They are the equivalent of coriander leaves to North Indian cuisine, to South Indian cuisine. They feature in dishes from saags in Gujarat to the fish curries of Kerala. Curry leaves are vital in Chennai (Madras), the sole region in which they form the basis of most masalas. In the majority of India they are simply used as a tempering in the last few minutes of cooking.'

Did you know? The use of the curry leaf tree to treat diabetes has attracted a great deal of interest. Special compounds have been found in the leaf which might make it an effective new medicine for diabetes sufferers. Diabetes sufferers, watch this space!