Selection
Fresh curry leaves are readily available at farmers’ markets in the South-Indian States, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Since curry leaves lose their delicious fragrance after drying, you should try to get them fresh.
Choose fresh, bright green, crisp leaves tied in loose bundles. Avoid dry, wilted, and faded leaves.
Storage
Curry leaves do not store well and are always used fresh for flavor. Sometimes, fresh leaves are fried in oil and stored in an air-sealed glass jar for long-term use.
Curry leaves can be kept in the refrigerator for several hours in a bundle. Do not tear the leaflets from their stems before use (keep the whole branch).
Cooking utensils
In Indian and Sri Lankan cuisines, curry leaves are used fresh. They develop a unique flavor that is best after a short tempering at low heat or frying in oil, which, when added, gives a unique flavor to food.
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| Kadi-pakoda curry leaves. |
Here are some delivery tips:
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In Indian cuisine, curry leaves usually feature in “tempering” or tadka, where certain spices are fried in oil or ghee and the mixture is added to flavor the dish.
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They mainly added lentils or vegetable curry (sambaar) in South India.
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Naro-singho masor jhol recipe (fish In curry leaves gravy) is a recipe from Assam in North East India, which consists of a little fresh water or sardines/carpscooked in curry leaf sauce.
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Curry leaves give a special flavor to a favorite dish in Kerala-kariveppila chicken (chicken with curry leaves).
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In Tamil Nadu, curry leaves dominate almost all recipes like curry (karuveppilai kuzhambu-गरुवेप्बिलाय गुजाम्पु), rasam, sabzi (stew) and chutney.
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Curry leaves are widely used in chicken, shrimp and vegetable dishes in Malaysia and Indonesia.
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Fried curry leaves can also be ground into a fragrant powder and can be added to spice blends.
Safety profile
Allergy to curry leaves is rare although some people do not like to eat them. The leaves are healthy and do not cause any adverse effects on pregnant and lactating mothers when consumed in small quantities.
(Medical disclaimer: The information and reference guide on this website is intended only for general information for the reader. It should not be used to diagnose health problems or for treatment purposes. It is not a substitute for medical care provided by a licensed and qualified health professional. Please consult your health care provider for any advice on medications.)
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Further reading:
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McCance and Widdowson’s composition of foods aggregate dataset. (opens in excel).
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Gernot-Katzer’s spice pages. (Opens in a new window).
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curry leaves Special products. (opens in excel).