Also known as:
Meetha neem, Kari patta,
Katneem, Bursunga (Hindi), Kariveppila, Kariveppu (Malayalam), Kariveppilai,
Karuveppilai (Tamil).
Why write about Curry Leaves?
Curry leaves are a mainstay
spice/herb used in Indian cooking- and our home cooking on almost a daily
basis. Generally we temper curry leaves in hot oil with mustard seeds, red
chilies, green chilies and few other seeded spices (cumin, ajwain, etc.) and/or
dhals, adding this mixture, known as tadka, to a variety of dishes. Generally
people remove curry leaves from the dish before eating, but eating them brings
no harm.
Also, some not familiar
with curry leaves may think ‘curry powder’ is made out of curry leaves. This is
not true. Curry powder is not really used in India in that sense. People do make
plenty of spice mixtures such as sambar powder,
rasam powder, dhal powders for dosa, etc., but these spice mixes do not contain
curry leaves. Curry leaves are best used fresh and tempered in oil or ghee to
increase aroma. There may be some scientific reasoning behind this, but I do
not know about that.
Parts of the plant used:
Leaves. Leaves should not
be removed until the leaves are to be used, else they go bad.
Ayurvedic Use as quoted from An Encounter with Ayurvedic Aromatherapy by Farida
Irani. (source here)
-I am providing this information for
your reference only. I am not a
physician or ayurvedic doctor. Consult your
doctor or ayurvedic practitioner for indications based on your particular
health concerns and/or dosha imbalances.-
Pacifies Vata, aggravates
Pitta
Used for: body tonic,
stomach problems, digestion, reduce blood sugar, laxative, helps with grey
hair, maintain hairs pigments
"Curry leaves are eaten raw for the cure of
dysentery. When boiled in milk and ground, they form a good application to poison
bites and to skin eruptions. Decoction of leaves is given with bitters as a
febrifuge in fevers. Leaves are popularly used for flavouring curries and
condiments."
I have used curry leaves to benefit my health:
I have not yet seeked out
or been prescribed the use of curry leaves by an ayurvedic doctor for any
ailment. However, after noting the benefits of curry leaves, I can understand
why they are used in the spicy Indian dishes.
I have used curry leaves in cooking:
I use curry leaves in
making many Indian dishes. I have made ‘tadka’ as above for dhal, sambar, rasam and
vegetable based Indian dishes. Some recipes from
shakahaari.com.
References: An Encounter with
Ayurvedic Aromatherapy | Gernot Katzer’s Spice
Pages – Curry Leaves
How have you benefited from using curry leaves? Share below.
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