There is a piece of land in my organic farm called ‘Sheela’s Folly’. It is a rather extensive piece of land planted with curry leaf trees. Most well-wishers advise that I don’t need that many trees and as curry leaf by itself is difficult to market, I should consider just retaining a few for my personal use and destroying the rest. I have been resisting doing this for a decade now and most friends have decided to let the curry leaf patch be.
I love the smell of curry leaves. These remind me of the sambar, rasam and roasted potatoes—all heavily tempered with gorgeous green curry leaves—that my mother makes. My father-in-law would never pick it and leave it by the side of the plate out but would chew it with much relish.
Another reason that the curry leaf patch is close to my heart is that I was involved very closely in the planting operation. I procured the best quality curry leaf seeds from Vijayawada with the help of an Andhravadu friend. Planting the seeds was a tedious but adventurous process that involved many steps. The seeds after careful preparation were sown into two rows. The trees can survive neglect, mismanagement and long droughts. I hate to fell survivors and so the trees thrive, a testimony to the wisdom of our Siddhars and yogis who introduced this plant into our culinary and medical heritage.
The leaves are rich in fibres, minerals, proteins, vitamin A, B, B2, E and C, calcium, phosphorous, iron, magnesium, oxalic acid, and nicotinic acids. These have proven effects on diabetes, inflammation, cancer, aging, loss of appetite and others. Curry leaf pacifies aggravated kapha and vata doshas.
In my earlier article on diabetes mellitus, I had written about a powder where one of the main ingredients is curry leaf. Many of my diabetic friends and relatives use it to great advantage and have seen a decrease in their sugar levels.
As curry leaves have an exhaustive list of chemical constituents, it can be summed up as a powerhouse of useful phytochemicals. I am sharing details regarding two curry leaf preparations which I make at home. I collect organic curry leaves from the farm and make both the curry leaf powder and oil.
For the powder, take two cups of tightly packed curry leaves. With a little oil saute one tablespoon of coriander seeds, three tablespoons of urad dal, three tablespoons of channa dal (seeds and dals should be coarsely ground), 12 red Kashmiri chillies (smoothly ground). To this, add ½ teaspoon of coarsely ground jeera (no need to sauté the jeera). Take a small piece of tamarind and sauté it till it is crisp. Grind this in the food processor. Roast the washed and dried curry leaves in a microwave for about a minute at the highest power setting. This should be done to make the leaves crispy. Coarsely grind the curry leaves and mix all the ingredients with about two teaspoons of salt. You can have this with rice and ghee, for idlis, dosas, for curd rice or even add it to your curries and gravies.
The curry leaf oil is a cinch to make and is called kalasaka tailam after the Sanskrit name for curry leaves. It is very fragrant and has a pretty dark green colour. Take two cups of organic coconut oil and one cup of tightly packed curry leaves. Grind the curry leaves smoothly to a paste in the food processor without adding any water. Keep a uruli (or any tawa with a heavy bottom) and heat the coconut oil, add the curry leaf paste and boil on low heat for about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the paste keep simmering in the oil. Once it cools, filter with a fine mesh into a bottle.
The fragrant oil is a treat to use for oil massage. It can be used daily before a head bath also. It keeps your tresses shiny and black and helps better hair growth by strengthening the roots of the hair. By oiling the hair you improve your eyesight too. Include a little curry leaf powder and a Kalasaka tailam in your daily regimen.
The writer is retired Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu. She can be reached at Sheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail. com.
Earlier articles can be accessed at www.arogyamantra.blogspot.com