Curry leaf
Murraya koenigii · Herb
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A small, glossy herb leaf from a citrus-family tree, with a warm, nutty, citrusy, resinous scent. Fried whole in hot oil or ghee, it opens South Indian and Sri Lankan dals and sambar. Nothing to do with curry powder.
Picking a good onedrag
Just cut, leaflets glossyScentless, shedding, black
Shop freshEveryday bestThe all-rounder: tadka, sambar, rasam, chutney.
Leaflet colourGreen, but the gloss gone flat
The sprigOne or two leaflets come away
The stalkCut end browning, stalk still stiff
Smell at the leafScent comes when you crush one
Keeping ittap a temperature
A domestic fridge holds it about 5× longer than the counter.
95-100%
Humidity
Vented bag, not sealed
Airflow