Not the same as curry powder — a small tropical tree whose glossy leaves carry a warm, citrusy aroma central to South Indian food.
The curry leaf tree is a small, slow-growing evergreen with glossy, pinnate leaves that smell of warm citrus and spice when torn. Despite the name it has nothing to do with the mixed spice called curry powder; the fresh leaves are their own distinct flavour, fried in oil at the start of a dish to release their scent.
It is tender and resents cold, so in a cool climate it lives in a pot that can come indoors for winter, kept in the brightest spot available. It grows slowly, especially when young, and dislikes being over-watered — let the compost approach dryness between drinks, and ease right off in the cooler months.
Plants are usually bought rather than grown from seed, since the seed loses viability fast. With patience a potted curry leaf becomes a generous, long-lived source of an ingredient that is often hard to buy fresh.
A succulent that stores its own water and asks for almost nothing in return — the classic starter plant for anyone who has killed everything else.
A clump-forming grass with a sharp citrus scent, grown for the tender stems at the heart of Southeast Asian cooking.
The knobbly rhizome behind so much cooking will sprout on a warm windowsill from a piece bought to eat.