One of my best culinary discoveries after transferring to Delhi was curry leaves. Bunches of curry patta or leaves have been offered in markets, folks had curry leaf vegetation rising of their homes, my present residence has an enormous tree shut to eight ft tall — it was used liberally in cooking, virtually as a lot as coriander leaves have been. I used to be a fast convert.
Tempering the oil with contemporary inexperienced curry leaves earlier than cooking greens, including it to dal, and even to meat and hen curries, and, after all, to fish moilee, gave the dishes a scrumptious, distinctive, however very refined flavour.
However may the unique title of the leaf truly be “curry” patta? Or was this some British terminology, just like the Madras “curry” powder which is offered — and purchased by me, I have to admit — to unsuspecting foreigners who don’t have any clue that this can be a creation of our colonisers. No Indian knew of an all-purpose curry powder till Bolst’s Indian Condiments launched it.
An extended culinary historical past
But, it appears “curry pata” is certainly the unique Indian title of the plant, because it’s been traced again to the first to 4th century CE, and is talked about extensively in Tamil and Kannada literature as a spinoff of “kari”, which suggests “spiced sauce” in Tamil.
By the point merchants and colonisers had made their solution to India, the “kadi patta” was being extensively utilized in cooking. And they’re those who modified its spelling and reference to “curry”.
The botanical title, although, is Murraya koenigii, named after the Swedish doctor and botanist Johann Andreas Murray and the German botanist Johann König, who studied Indian flora within the 18th century and documented the existence of what we name the curry leaf.
In the present day, you’ll find curry leaves in India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, Australia, the Pacific Islands, and Africa. Initially, curry leaves have been cultivated solely in Japanese and Southern India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, China, Southeast Asia, and in some elements of the US and Australia.
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From dosas to curries and podis
That it has turn into a staple throughout many areas of India is a testomony to its flavour. And I do really feel the rationale each coriander and curry leaves are so abundantly utilized in Indian cooking is as a result of the vegetation flourish all year long.
Whereas researching this text, I got here throughout an fascinating anecdote: the Sindhi yoghurt-based gravy known as kadhi is called after the curry leaves used to flavour it. I’ve additionally heard folks check with curry leaves as “meetha neem” or candy neem, additionally as a result of the leaves resemble the neem leaf.
By the point merchants and colonisers had made their solution to India, the “kadi pata” was being extensively utilized in cooking. (Photograph: Getty Photos/Thinkstock)
It’s the south of India which actually celebrates the curry leaf – should you’ve eaten dosa, it’s inconceivable to seek out sambar with out curry leaves or the potato stuffing with out curry leaves in it. In Tamil delicacies, karuveppilai thuvaiyal is a spicy inexperienced chutney produced from floor curry leaves. Karuveppilai sadam is a scrumptious rice preparation made by stirring rice with a dry curry-leaf powder.
Kerala’s fish curries and dals are all the time tempered with curry leaves, as are the gravies of Chettinad delicacies. It’s as fashionable in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the place additionally it is made right into a podi – dried floor powder – to be eaten with rice and ghee.
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Utilizing the stem
My professional tip for cooking with curry leaves is to not use simply the leaves when tempering your oil. All the time use the stem after tearing the leaves off, then take away it earlier than serving the meals. The stem holds an abundance of flavour and perfume.
The opposite tip is that when you can mood the oil you’re cooking your meat, greens or dal in with fenugreek/methi seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves, all the time tear a number of curry leaves up and stir them into the gravy when you’ve completed cooking – that’s the way you’ll get probably the most flavour and aroma out of the leaves.
And in case you’ve gotten an enormous curry leaf plant in your backyard, however aren’t a fan of the flavour, don’t let the leaves go to waste – grind them to a powder, and apply them to your hair for lustrous locks.
Actually, a leaf for all seasons and causes.
Subsequent week, I’ll be writing about Lucknow’s best contribution to the world of night soirees, the shami kebab.
