Currying flavour

September 15, 2016 09:00 pm | Updated November 01, 2016 06:41 pm IST

Ubiquitous and underappreciated, the curry leaf is a kitchen staple that deserves the spotlight

Don’t treat people like curry leaves, my mother yelled at me once, when I forgot to send a thank-you note to an aunt. As I stared at her bewildered, she explained — curry leaves were added as an afterthought, thrown into the tadka, and left behind on plates after each meal. The flavour was used liberally, but never actually consumed or appreciated.

She got me wondering about both cooking and life — and her penchant for strange food-related metaphors — but mostly about the curry leaf. Called karuveppilai or karivepaaku in the South, where it is more commonly used in daily cooking, and kari patta in the North, the curry leaf is a poor cousin of the coriander and mint leaves, the better-known herb staples of Indian food. Stuffed into bags for free at vegetable shops, one never actually shops for these dark-green condiments, but we throw it in by the handful into almost every second dish. Whether it is in the daily sambar-rasam or the karuveppilai podi that’s a popular addition to rice and ghee, this ubiquitous little leaf has a quiet presence, but a loud absence. Just try making mor kozhambu without it.

But it’s not just for taste — the curry leaf has quite a few medicinal properties as well, which make it quite the nutritional powerhouse, and more than just garnish. According to Ayurveda, it is a cure for gastrointestinal issues anti-hyperglycemic properties that make it a boon for diabetics, and its antioxidant powers are just a few of the many great things about this herb that we tend to brush aside, literally and figuratively. And there’s also the beauty side of it — we’ve all heard our grandmothers talk about days when coconut oil mixed with dried curry leaves was used to condition hair; and curry leaves do promote hair growth.

The curry leaf tree is a flowering plant from the citrus family, and while the white flowers and shiny black berries look appealing, it is the fragrant leaves alone that are used for culinary purposes. While the unique scent of the curry leaf is often compared to lemongrass or anise, its flavour is a lot harder to describe though some often use the word ‘pungent’, although it has a certain sweetness to it.

Whatever its flavour, there are certain cuisines where the curry leaf is indispensable —like Kerala cuisine. For Aasiya Hasham, who often takes cookery classes and cooks her native cuisine almost every day at home, the curry leaf is as synonymous with Malayali food as coconut oil. “We use curry leaves in almost every dish we cook at home, whether it is ground into the masala or added as tempering. If you want that traditional taste, then along with coconut oil, curry leaves are a must,” she explains. Her favourite use of the leaf is the classic Kerala fish curry made with coconut milk, where the curry leaves are blended into the masala in which the fish is marinated.

Chef Umapathy, at The Raintree St. Mary’s Road, is an Andhra cuisine expert, and is used to throwing in handfuls of curry leaves to flavour chutneys, dals and even rice. “We use it as a standard tempering — curry leaves along with mustard and vadagam (tiny balls of seasoning) — I can’t imagine cooking without it,” he claims. The famed spicy Andhra Karavepakku Kodi Karu (curry leaf chicken curry), where a paste of curry leaves is mixed with yoghurt and garam masala to marinate the chicken, is another popular use of the staple leaf, but Chef Umapathy has another favourite — a curry leaf pesto. Replacing the traditional basil called for in the Italian recipe with curry leaves, and the pine nuts with pistachios, the two are blended along with garlic, olive oil and then garnished with parmesan and salt. The chef uses it to marinate fresh fish before grilling, but you’re welcome to try it with anything.

Prateek Kalra, F&B Director at the Taj Coromandel, believes that the popularity of the curry leaf martini is mainly because many view it as a local Chennai speciality. For those used to it, the curry leaf’s flavour is part of their culinary culture, but for others, it does have an exotic air. At Coromandel, the curry leaves are softly muddled with some pepper, and then lime juice and apple juice are added to tone down the pungency, leaving behind a freshness and the signature scent. It’s not just throwing in a few curry leaves for garnish, he clarifies.

Available all year round, and easily sourced, the curry leaf is that little nutrient powerhouse that’s easily ignored or relished without due appreciation. So before you wax eloquent about the new kale smoothie, or that delicious basil you swear by, give the humble curry leaf a chance — either in your mor or in your martini.

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