Murraya koenigii, alias curry leaf
Curry leaves are indispensable in many Indian dishes, but not available in Thailand. So, spotting some fresh branches for sale at a food market in Varanasi, we took them back home to give it a try.
It worked. Two of the five branches rapidly grew into shrubs. They soon gave ample leaves for cooking and ample cuttings to grow more shrubs.
For cooking, the leaflets are torn from the rib, which immediately releases the characteristic aroma. The small white flowers that develop into shiny purple-black berries are not used for culinary purposes.
May 2015, by Karolien Bais