A shiny and dark green coloured leaf which has a distinctive aroma and taste, the “Curry Leaf” is also known as the “Sweet Limra”.
Curries without curry leaves are equivalent to pickles or vegetables without salt! The leaf contains lots of herbal and medicinal properties and is a most prominently used herb in south Indian as well as in most Indian cooking.
To begin with, curry leaves are anti-oxidants and protect us from various diseases cutting the risk of cancer plus lowering the risk of diabetes. Curry leaves are also good for the digestive system. When curry leaves are boiled and blackened in coconut oil and applied to the scalp after cooling, they help reduce hair fall and greying. In fact they even enhance hair growth. They are also a good source of vitamin A and are extremely high in vitamin C. If you want to increase the level of calcium and iron in your body and enhance eye health plus add a glow to your skin, just add a few curry leaves into the daily food you cook.
To combat nausea during pregnancy, consume one teaspoon of curry leaf juice extract, mixed with one teaspoon of honey, or half a teaspoon of lime juice and watch the miracles it can work!
The writer is a Mumbai-based nutritionist
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Curry Leaf Rice
Ingredients
2 cups cooked and cooled white rice;
1¼ cups fresh curry leaves; ¼ cup coriander; ½ tbsp split gram dal; ½ tbsp Bengal gram; 8-9 black peppercorns; pinch of turmeric powder; ½ tsp ghee; salt to taste
For tempering
½ tsp ghee; 1 tsp mustard seeds; pinch of asafoetida (optional)
Method
Heat a tsp of ghee, add the dals and toss till they turn red. Add the peppercorns and toss. Turn off heat and cool. In the same vessel, heat another tsp of ghee and add the curry leaves and on low-medium heat, toss them constantly till they change colour. Turn off heat and cool.
Grind the roasted dals, curry leaves and peppercorns to a coarse powder. Keep aside.
Heat ghee for tempering in the same vessel, add the mustards seeds and let them splutter. Add the asafoetida and toss for a few seconds. Turn off heat. Add the cooked rice to the tempering, sprinkle salt and turmeric powder. Add the ground curry leaves and spice powder and combine. Adjust salt.