Degchi
Curry leaves
Also written: kari patta, kadi patta, kari pata
- Urduکڑی پتہ
- Hindiकरी पत्ता
- Banglaকারিপাতা
Curry leaves are the small, glossy leaves of the curry tree, and they have nothing to do with curry powder. Fried in hot oil they give a toasty, slightly citrusy smell that is typical of South Indian cooking.
They almost always go into hot fat. In Lemon Rice they are fried with green chilli for about a minute. Rasam and Idli Sambar finish with a tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves in hot oil, poured over the pot. Chicken Chettinad fries sliced onion with curry leaves until deep golden, so the flavour is cooked into the base.
Add them to oil that is already hot and stand back, because wet leaves spit. They are ready when they turn crisp and translucent, which takes well under a minute. Use fresh leaves if you can; dried ones are much weaker, so use a larger pinch.
Whole leaves are not meant to be eaten and are usually left on the side of the plate.