Curry leaves

[frankj]

Lots of Indian recipes call for curry leaves.  We have lots of Indian groceries in Austin but none seem to have fresh.  The dried ones are tasteless.  Can you get fresh ones anywhere mailorder?  Or can you suggest a good substitute?

[Miss J]

I haven't found any good subsitute for fresh curry leaves (and you're right, the dried ones are dreadful), but we've been very lucky here in the UK ever since Sainsburys started stocking them in their fresh herbs section. I've been buying and freezing them, although I've noticed that the flavour still deteriorates in the freezer after a couple of weeks.

Now if we could just get them to add holy basil, I'll be completely sorted...  

Miss J

[Suvir Saran]

I have not found a substitute in Indian cooking for Curry Leaves.

We find fresh curry leaves in most all-Indian grocers in NYC.  Maybe you could ask if one of them would ship them to you.

I very successfully freeze them for a couple of months.  Always add a few more leaves than the recipe calls for if using frozen.

Dried are good to use as a powder, but certainly no match to frozen ones.

You can do a google search and find Curry Leaf plants that you can get shipped to you and grow quite easily.  In fact in Texas, you maybe able to grow the plant outdoors. But I am not sure about that.

I have mine at a windowsill and it does just fine. Though I prefer using store bought leaves for the most time but call upon my plant when I am in dire need for them and with none in the freezer of refrigerator.

[Suvir Saran]

Foods of India

121 Lexington Avenue

New York City, NY

Tel: (212) 683 4419

The above grocer could be one place you can call to see if you can get them to ship the leaves.

Curry Leaf Plant For Sale

I have been told the above site is able to ship plants across the US.  But since I have not ever ordered directly, I am not sure about it.

[John Whiting]

Curry plants grow easily in London; in fact, a few have appeared spontaneously in our garden. (We haven't used them, only identified them.)

[Suvir Saran]

How lucky you are John.  No such luck in NYC.  We have to bring our little plant indoors.  And we have little sun, so that makes the plant half as healthy as it could be.

I envy you.  

Nothing like making tadkas (tempered oil) for dishes with freshly plucked and bruised curry leaves.  The aroma is just wonderful and stimutales the senses into a mood for savoring foods.

[John Whiting]

You make me feel ashamed! We must take advantage of our good fortune.

[frankj]

Belated thanks for the heads up on Foods of India, Suvir Saran.  They could ship me fresh curry leaves.

I notice you're developing a retail section on your website.  Perhaps you could team up with them.  They have no web-ordering and the clash of our accents over the telephone made ordering a little iffy.

[John Whiting]

Suvir, I have finally visited your beautiful website and found music by the Master Musicians of Joujouka. I provided sound projection and recorded them when they came to London perhaps twenty years ago. It's wonderful to hear them again.

[Jaymes]

Lots of Indian recipes call for curry leaves.  We have lots of Indian groceries in Austin but none seem to have fresh.  The dried ones are tasteless.  Can you get fresh ones anywhere mailorder?  Or can you suggest a good substitute?

AUSTIN CURRY LEAF ALERT...

There is a great herb nursery, It's About Thyme, in South Austin.  I was just in there a few days ago and they have curry plants, which do pretty well here.  They have both the regular and the dwarf variety.  280-1192.

[Suvir Saran]

Jaymes, would it be possible for you to picture this curry leaf plant you mention?  There is an herb that belongs I believe to the Lavender family, and when the leaves are bruised, its leaves smell of curry powder.  That is a plant/tree very different from the Curry Leaf Tree.

If you have found the correct Curry Leaf Tree, you have done very well indeed.  And yes, it should thrive in your environs.  It loves heat.  I envy you already.

Maybe FrankJ and you could compare the leaves you have and see if they are the same.

Frankj I will develop some kind of retail, but not sure yet when that will happen.  I am sorry the Indian accent was challenging.  What can I say?  But if you visit that store, you will find them to be very charming, sincere and maintaining a great store with the best spices you can find in NYC.  Also it is much easier to communicate face to face.

John Whiting thanks for your kind words about my site. I love the music by the Master Musicians Of Jajouka.  I wish I had heard them live.  Their music is beautiful to my ears.

[Jaymes]

Jaymes, would it be possible for you to picture this curry leaf plant you mention?  There is an herb that belongs I believe to the Lavender family, and when the leaves are bruised, its leaves smell of curry powder.  That is a plant/tree very different from the Curry Leaf Tree.

If you have found the correct Curry Leaf Tree, you have done very well indeed.  And yes, it should thrive in your environs.  It loves heat.  I envy you already.

Maybe FrankJ and you could compare the leaves you have and see if they are the same.

Alas, Survir, you have exposed me for the computer amateur I am.  I cannot post photographs.  I think the only way one can do that is with some sort of scanner, and I have none.  Perhaps there is another way (like holding the photo up to the monitor screen and hitting the "insert" key) but, if so, I am unfamiliar with it.

I suspect, however, that all of these "curry" plants have botanical names and if you can give me the correct botanical name of the desired plant, I can telephone the helpful folks at "It's About Thyme" and ask them.  They are very knowledgeable and helpful, as herbs are their specialty.

[Jaymes]

A quick addition on the matter of preserving leaves for cooking.  

I have both a Keiffer Lime tree and a friend who is a great cook.  She uses those leaves frequently in her Thai cooking.  She is also the owner of a decidedly brown thumb and although I have twice given her trees as hostess gifts, each has promptly died.  

I don't mind schlepping leaves over to her house whenever she needs them, but she says she doesn't want to impose (more likely she doesn't want me knowing every single time she's cooking Thai ).  

So occasionally I take her a few big handsful and she freezes them in water in old-fashioned ice-cube trays.  

She says they last indefinitely that way...suspended in their little frozen square homes.  According to her (and I have no personal imperical knowledge one way or the other), the flavor lasts much longer this way than just putting them in a baggie and tossing them in the freezer.

[Suvir Saran]

Jaymes,

You are at least able to post on egullet and we are lucky for that.

I will give you a link of a site where you can go see the curry leaves and report back if your tree has the same leaves.

Curry Leaf History

It is called Chalcas Koenigii.

Let us know what you find out.  Thanks!

[Jaymes]

Jaymes,

You are at least able to post on egullet and we are lucky for that.

I will give you a link of a site where you can go see the curry leaves and report back if your tree has the same leaves.

Curry Leaf History

It is called Chalcas Koenigii.

Let us know what you find out.  Thanks!

This gets worser and worser.

I don't actually HAVE a curry tree.  I was at "It's About Thyme" a few weeks back, browsing, and noticed a plant labeled "curry tree."  

Because I have seen the leaf mentioned in several recipes (and because I love curries in general), the name caught my eye and I asked them about it - how the plant does in Austin, etc.  

I didn't purchase it, though, and since it has been several weeks back, can't remember for sure if the leaf pictured in the website is the same.

I did notice the botanical name was mentioned on the site, and will call "It's About Thyme" and ask.

[Suvir Saran]

Jaymes,

If you scroll down on the link I posted above, you will see the plant that many confuse as the Curry Plant.  

If at all, you have found a source for the Curry Plant we use in Indian cooking, I would request you give us the name and number of this nursery, I will see if I can have them ship me a plant.  

I would love to have another.

There are websites that ship Curry Plants.  I know one such nursery on the Internet is in New Jersey.  I have lost their link.

If anyone is interested, they could certainly do a google search and find that place.

And thanks for again thinking about Curry Plants and letting us know.  I look forward to your follow up detective work.

[JSD]

I have a plant in my garden that was called "curry plant" when we bought it a couple of years ago.  It has survived cold winters and hot, dry summers.  It smell like curry, and has yellow flowers, sort of like yarrow.  I never knew it could be used for cooking. What can I do with it??

[Suvir Saran]

JSD,

I am afraid it is different from the Curry Leaf Tree we are talking about.

I have seen that plant you have in the famers market in NYC.  Maybe this coming week, I will make a trip there and see how they suggest one use the leaves.

What other herbs do you have in your garden?  How do you use them?

[JSD]

Oh well, it was only for a few minutes I thought I could use this plant in cooking.  The other herbs I have are just general purpose.  I have oregano, sage, and rosemary that survive the winter.  And I'm growing epazote for the first time, and of course lots of basil.  I'm afraid I don't make much Indian style food, and none of it authentic.  We had some great Indian food in England a couple years ago, and what's more, my family loved it so I definitely need to pursue this, but I don't even know where to start.  Can you recommend a good cookbook?

[Suvir Saran]

Maybe JSD you can buy two cookbooks.  One is Julie Sahnis Classic Indian Cooking and buy anyone of Madhur Jaffreys books.  Together you can then get a feel and sense of what India and its food is all about.

It is not as difficult as you may think.  And you always have egullet to fall upon when in need of an answer.  

If you go to my website, you can see a review of some cookbooks that helped me. You can look at the Indian ones and see if any of them work for you.

Also you should keep one thing in mind, Julie Sahnis Classic Book is from a time when some people were still using too much fat in their foods.  While most recipes are great.  Some have too much oil.  You can always begin with less if you feel it is too much.

Please feel free to question our members and me when you have questions.  You family will fall in love with Indian food in a new way, once you cook it for them.  Home cooked Indian food is amazing in the many subtle spicing techniques it brings out.

Keep us posted.  Have fun with Indian cooking.

[Habeas Brulee]

I have a bunch of curry leaves left over from making butter prawns last night. I don't want to do one of the same dishes I always use curry leaves for - I want to try something new!

So, what are your favorite recipes that call for curry leaves?

[Dejah]

I have a bunch of curry leaves left over from making butter prawns last night. I don't want to do one of the same dishes I always use curry leaves for - I want to try something new!

So, what are your favorite recipes that call for curry leaves?

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I will be very interested in the suggestions too! My half a bag is still in the fridge.

[Gabriel Lewis]

I have a great recipe by Julie Sahni with quite a few curry leaves, but it is somewhat involved. It involves making kari leaf scented dahl/cluster bean cakes and frying their crumbs in mustard seed oil, still interested?i

[Dejah]

I have a great recipe by Julie Sahni with quite a few curry leaves, but it is somewhat involved. It involves making kari leaf scented dahl/cluster bean cakes and frying their crumbs in mustard seed oil, still interested?i

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Please post the information, Gabriel. I also have a bottle of mustard oil given to me, and I have no idea how to use it.

[Gabriel Lewis]

I have a great recipe by Julie Sahni with quite a few curry leaves, but it is somewhat involved. It involves making kari leaf scented dahl/cluster bean cakes and frying their crumbs in mustard seed oil, still interested?

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edited for typos