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Curry leaves are aromatic green leaves widely used in Indian and South Asian cooking, particularly in South Indian dishes. Fresh curry leaves have a distinctive fragrance and are commonly fried briefly in oil with mustard seeds and other spices to flavour dishes such as sambar, rasam, dals, chutneys and vegetable curries. If you are looking for fresh curry leaves in the UK, this curry leaf guide covers what they are, how they taste, how to use and store them, and what to look for when buying them.
Curry leaves come from the curry leaf tree, botanically known as Bergera koenigii and also widely referred to by its former scientific name, Murraya koenigii. The plant is part of the Rutaceae family.
The leaves are small, green and aromatic. They usually grow as multiple leaflets along a stem and are used primarily as a flavouring ingredient.
Curry leaves are known by several regional names in South Asia. You may see them sold as kari leaves, curry patta, kadi patta, karivepaku or karuveppilai, depending on the language and region.
Despite the name, curry leaves are not a ready-made “curry flavour”, and they are not the same thing as curry powder. They are a distinct fresh ingredient with their own aroma and culinary uses.
Fresh curry leaves have a distinctive savory, herbal, slightly citrus aroma. They cannot easily be replaced by one herb or spice, which is one reason why they play such an important role in many traditional recipes.
The smell is especially strong when the leaves hit hot oil. The method of cooking releases aromatic compounds from them into the oil, which then carries the flavor thru the dish.
Fresh curry leaves generally have a more intense aroma than dried ones.
One of the most popular ways to use curry leaves is in a tempering (called tadka).
Heat oil or ghee and add ingredients like mustard seeds, cumin, chilies and curry leaves. The hot fat helps release their aromas, and the finished tempering can be the base of a dish or poured over food near the end of cooking.
Curry leaves are commonly used in:
sambar
rasam
dal
vegetable curries
chutneys
poha
upma
lemon rice
Coconut Recipes
yoghurt and buttermilk preparations
spice blends and snack foods
When adding fresh curry leaves to hot oil, make sure the leaves are not wet. Water on the leaves can cause hot oil to spit.
Yes. Curry leaves are edible and do not need to be removed from a dish in the way that large, tough bay leaves often are.
Whether people actually eat the whole leaves is often a matter of the dish and personal preference. Curry leaves fried until crisp can be eaten along with the food, while some people leave softer whole leaves on the side of the plate after they have flavoured the dish.
They can also be incorporated into chutneys and other preparations where they are ground with the remaining ingredients.
If you have more leaves than you need for one meal, don’t throw them away. Freezing, drying or using them in another dish can help reduce waste.
No. Curry leaves are not the same as bay leaves and you should not substitute one for the other.
Curry leaves are small fragrant leaves used commonly in South Asian cooking. When fried in hot oil they give a lot of flavor. Bay leaves are bigger and more sturdy and are generally added to dishes to simmer and give flavor and then removed.
They also have different flavour profiles, so substituting bay leaves for curry leaves will change the final dish.
No Curry leaves are not the same as curry powder.
Curry leaves are the actual leaves of the curry leaf tree. Curry powder is the name of a mixture of spices whose composition varies from recipe to recipe or from manufacturer to manufacturer.
The similar names can be confusing but using curry powder will not replicate the unique smell of fresh curry leaves.
No. Kaffir lime leaves (or makrut lime leaves) are from a different plant and have a different flavor than curry leaves.
Both are aromatic leaves used in cooking and this can cause confusion when people are looking for substitutes. But if you want the flavor intended in a recipe, then they are not substitutable.
The first choice for a recipe calling for the characteristic aroma of curry leaves is usually fresh curry leaves. They are more fragrant, especially if the leaves are fried.
Dried curry leaves can still be useful when fresh leaves are unavailable, but drying changes the intensity and character of the aroma. You may therefore notice a difference in a dish originally designed around fresh leaves.
If you regularly cook South Indian or Sri Lankan food, keeping fresh curry leaves available — or freezing some for later use — can be particularly convenient.
Curry leaves are very perishable and should be stored properly.
If you are going to use them soon enough, cut away any damaged lea Use only a low amount and keep the rest of the leaves in the fridge. Do not allow any unnecessary surface moisture to collect around them as excess moisture may lead to deterioration.
Curry leaves can also be frozen for longer storage. Freezing may alter the texture, but the leaves can be used in cooked dishes where the aroma is more important than the raw appearance.
A simple way to do this is :
Rinse the bunch and remove any bad or discolored leaves.
Keep the leaves dry before storing them.
Refrigerate them in a suitable sealed container for shorter-term use.
Freeze leaves you will not use soon.
Take out only what you need when cooking.
Storage conditions and the condition of the leaves when purchased will affect how long they remain usable, so check their colour, smell and texture before cooking.
Discolouration can happen as curry leaves age or deteriorate during storage.
Yellowing, darkening, black spots and leaves falling from the stem can have different causes, so colour alone should not be used to make assumptions about why a particular bunch has changed.
For stored leaves, moisture and general deterioration are important things to watch. Remove leaves that are clearly spoiled rather than allowing them to remain mixed with good leaves.
Curry leaves contain naturally occurring plant compounds and nutrients and have a long history of use in food. However, nutritional interest in an ingredient should be kept separate from claims that it can treat or prevent disease.
You may encounter claims online connecting curry leaves with blood sugar, cholesterol, weight loss, hair growth and other health outcomes. These claims need to be considered against the quality of the available scientific evidence rather than treated as established benefits simply because curry leaves are a natural ingredient.
Curry leaves should therefore be viewed first as a culinary ingredient rather than as a replacement for medical treatment or professional dietary advice.
There is no need to count curry leaves when you are simply using normal culinary amounts in recipes.
Questions about eating a specific number every day are different from ordinary cooking and often relate to claimed health benefits. A fixed daily amount should not be presented as universally appropriate without reliable evidence and individual context.
In the UK fresh curry leaves are a staple of Indian and South Asian grocery shopping. When buying, pay attention to the leaves and try to choose those that look fresh and green rather than wilted or obviously rotten.
Buying online can be helpful when you don't have a suitable grocery shop nearby or want to include curry leaves with the rest of your Indian grocery order.
MyLocalMart is an online Indian grocery store for customers all across the UK, meaning you are able to order Indian grocery ingredients for delivery in the UK.
Curry leaves are a distinct aromatic ingredient, not another name for bay leaves or curry powder. Their characteristic fragrance makes them particularly useful in tempering and in dishes such as sambar, rasam, dal, chutney, poha and upma.
Fresh leaves provide a particularly noticeable aroma, while refrigeration and freezing can help you manage leaves you are not using immediately.
If curry leaves are a regular part of your cooking, keeping some on hand makes it much easier to prepare recipes that depend on their distinctive flavour.
Buy fresh curry leaves and Indian groceries online from MyLocalMart for delivery across the UK.
Curry leaves are aromatic leaves from the curry leaf tree, botanically accepted as Bergera koenigii and also widely known by the scientific synonym Murraya koenigii. They are widely used as a flavouring ingredient in Indian and other South Asian cuisines.
Names vary by language and region. You may encounter names including curry patta, kadi patta, karivepaku and karuveppilai.
Yes. Curry leaves are edible. They can be eaten when cooked, fried until crisp or incorporated into preparations such as chutneys. Some people choose not to eat whole leaves left in a finished dish.
No. They are grown in different plants , taste different and used differently in cooking . So bay leaves are not an exact replacement for curry leaves.
Yes . If you would like to preserve curry leaves beyond their normal fridge freshness, you can freeze them. They can be frozen and their texture changed but they can still be used in cooked dishes.