Don’t Leaf Curry Alone

“Curry” isn’t just a type of stew, or a paste, or even a powder. Curry leaves came before all of that, appearing in text as early as 100 CE. A treasured staple of south Indian cuisine, their complete absence in overseas markets is downright astounding. Even with my penchant for exploring new flavors and obscure ingredients, my first taste of fresh curry leaves was only a few months ago. Now, I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for lost time.

What Do Curry Leaves Taste Like?

What do they taste like? No, seriously, I’m still asking myself that question. I popped a spry green leaf into my mouth and chewed, racking my brain for a good comparison. Shiso had the closest flavor profile I could come up with, but even that is a stretch. Musky, piney, resinous, tannic, nutty, and pungent, there’s truly nothing else like them. Don’t bother looking for substitutes; you’re better off just omitting them, unfortunately.

Where Can I Get Curry Leaves?

This is the million dollar question, the real barrier to entry here. Realistically, it’s more like a $2 question when you find a source, and you’ll get at least a half bushel of the things for that price. Take as many as are offered because they freeze beautifully, which means you can always have an ample supply on hand. Unless you have access to a robust Asian or Indian market though, it’s unlikely you’ll find fresh curry leaves nearby. Dried are available online, but of course, they lack the same punch and vibrancy.

What’s The Best Way To Cook With Curry Leaves?

I’m so glad you asked! Cooking with curry leaves is intuitive once you start thinking about them as both a whole spice and herb. Naturally, they’re best suited with Indian recipes, tempered in hot oil before a stir fry, stew, or sauté, bringing out the aromatic, volatile oils. The leaves can be used whole, much like bay leaves, but they’re fully edible and thus don’t need to be removed before serving. Dried, ground curry leaves can be applied like any other seasoning, although again, don’t expect the same distinctive bouquet of flavors.

Health Benefits of Curry Leaves

Curry leaves have a long history of medicinal usage with proven results. Rich in antioxidants, vitamins A, B, C, and E, and minerals, their nutritional value is as powerful as their culinary potential. A key component of Ayurvedic medicine since ancient times, curry leaves are noted for their anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. They’re also believed to aid in digestion, improve hair and skin health, reduce cholesterol, and even help manage diabetes. If you’re ever feeling the effects of eating too many beans (AKA flatulence), chew on a few raw curry leaves for relief. It’s a surprisingly effective and affordable fix!

Curry Leaf Recipes

Now that I finally got my hands on these greens that have more culinary value than dollar bills, I’m trying to spend them wisely on only the most promising recipes. Here’s the list of suggestions that I’ll be working through shortly:

The beauty of curry leaves is that they go with genuinely any Indian dish. Just throw a handful into whatever you’re cooking for an instant flavor upgrade.

Curry Up Now

If you’ve ever wondered why your home cooking doesn’t taste quite like your favorite meals from Indian restaurants, curry leaves are the missing ingredient. The instant impact that a small sprig can have is astounding, like turning a light switch on in a dark room. Come into the light, and give fresh curry leaves a try.

Hannah (BitterSweet)7 Comments

Praram is Paramount

Praram is unarguably Thai in origin, dating back to 1800’s under the rule of King Rama 5, yet you’re far more likely to find it on menus in America than in Thailand. Owing more to our penchant for rich sauces than an indicator of authenticity, it’s a beloved staple that everyone can appreciate.

Peanut Power

Just about anything would be delicious when smothered in a spicy peanut sauce, but this bold blend is particularly invigorating. Complex red curry paste is bolstered by the sweet heat of sriracha, spiked with tart lime juice, and cooled with creamy coconut milk. Bight, bold, but carefully balanced, you get a bit of everything—sweet, spicy, sour, salty, bitter, and umami—in each bite.

An Upward Spiral

Though typically served over fluffy jasmine rice or chewy noodles, spiralized sweet potatoes are the base of my bowl. Tender-crisp at first, they continue to soften as they sit in the hot sauce, adding a velvety texture towards the end of the meal. Complete with protein-packed tofu, it’s a healthy, hearty entree for any day of the week. Plus, the sauce can be prepared and saved for up a week in the fridge, so you can throw together this delicious dinner in mere minutes.

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Upsetting The Balance

One of my favorite cookbooks is super upsetting. Prospective readers are warned of that fact right up front. A Super Upsetting Cookbook About Sandwiches by Chef Tyler Kord makes good on that threat right away, combining sweet and savory with such reckless creativity that it’s a marvel it all fits between two slices of bread. Though the book is hardly new, having been on shelves since its initial release in 2016, I still find myself thinking about it regularly, randomly, to this day. It’s the kind of cookbook that you actually want to read, cover to cover, before turning out the lights for bed, rather than doom scrolling through the darkness. It’s captivating, curious, confounding, infuriating, and shocking in all the right proportions. Oh yes, and from what I’ve tested and tasted, quite delicious.

I don’t subscribe to the idea of guilty pleasures, because all forms of joy should be embraced, but this is the closest I might come to that definition. I’ve kept this fixation to myself for years, despite it bubbling back up to the surface, demanding to be shared. The fact of the matter is, the recipes are almost besides the point. The stories are captivating, written in biting, self-aware, sarcastic and yet smart prose, like a stream of consciousness spontaneously composed at 2am after some regrettable decisions on the town. There is no fourth wall—there never has been—as you’re invited into the conversations between Mr. Kord and his editor, as if you’re there reviewing the raw manuscript with them.


Cookbook Photos by Noah Fecks

Sadly, No. 7 Sub, the sandwich shops in Midtown Manhattan and Brooklyn where it all started, is no more. Its memory lives on in these pages, left to home cooks to recreate, or further bend to their whims. Most famous perhaps is the Broccoli Classic, noteworthy for its inclusion of pickled lychees and crispy fried shallots. The Zucchini Parm is a bit more tame, making the obvious vegetable swap, but also adding BBQ potato chips, “just because I wanted them,” the author explains. Mr. Kord does marvelous things with meatless protein as well, as evidenced by the General Tso’s Tofu Sub, exemplifying fusion cuisine done right. Though not a vegan book or former restaurant by any means, it’s not hard to translate with the convenience of modern substitutions these days.

From my personal experience, The #2 Best New Sandwich In America In 2012 According To The Huffington Post, AKA Terrible and Unhealthy Cauliflower Sandwiches, are a brilliant combination, showcasing Mr. Kord’s understanding of flavor and textural contrasts, pushing the boundaries of classically accepted pairings into a new, wholly successful culinary realm. Roasted cauliflower is the centerpiece, supported by a raisin and scallion relish, smoked French dressing, and crushed potato chips. Because I’m a similar kind of crazy, I tweaked my assembly to use less oil in the dressing, turning it into more of a spread, and swapping the golden raisins for lightly sweetened cranberries. Sorry, not sorry for using store-bought chips; the merits of this combination still stand up to scrutiny.

If you want to be mildly disturbed by some authentically off-kilter, unconventionally intelligent ideas in food, you’ve come to the right place. I have yet to find a contemporary cookbook with nearly such reckless creativity, fearlessly self-aware of how marvelously upsetting it could be.

Hannah (BitterSweet)2 Comments

In The Limelight

Mummified fruit is usually the last thing you want to see when you open up your pantry, but dried limes challenge those notions of common food storage. Hard as walnut shells, sometimes black as ink and other times a dusty grey, these oversized marbles conceal a world of flavor inside that forbidding exterior.

What Are Dried Limes?

Dried limes, sometimes called “dried lemons,” are better known as limu amani or noomi basra due to their Iranian and Iraqi origins. An essential ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking, somehow they’ve failed to make the leap overseas to widespread popularity. A positive buzz is growing in large part thanks to one Yotam Ottolenghi ceaseless singing their praises, which means they’re slowly infiltrating specialty markets and boutique grocery stores abroad. Thankfully, we have the internet to fill the gaps, where you can readily purchase both whole and powdered dried limes.

Simply sun-dried until bereft of any moisture, they’re effectively preserved like any other whole spices. To use them, simply toss them into soups or stews whole, then fish them out like spent bay leaves when you’re done cooking. Powdered, they can be blended into other spice mixtures, such as Baharat.

What Do Dried Limes Taste Like?

Everyone knows what a fresh lime tastes like; tart, tangy, fruit, and sightly floral, with just a slight hint of sweetness. Now, take that and remove the sweetness, substituting a more earthy, funky, sometimes smoky flavor, along with a stronger acidic bite like sour candies, and you’ll understand the essence of dried limes. The longer they’re stewed, the more intense and bitter the flavor becomes.

Cooking With Dried Limes

Ghormeh Sabzi and Fesenjan are two top dishes that call for dried limes, though any slow-simmered dish is well suited for a dried lime infusion. They can be added to the water when cooking rice or brines for making pickles. Dried lime tea is also excellent for settling the stomach, though that often involves the leaves, too.

The easiest way to get started with dried limes, in my opinion, is to stick with soup. Chicken soup with rice is a beloved savory staple the world over, so it’s easy to enjoy a new twist on the classic. Persian Chicken and Rice Soup adds a handful of chickpeas and of course, dried limes for some extra sour power. It’s the kind of flavor combination that will take off the chill, beat any cold, and generally comfort the hungry in any condition.

My version uses soy curls instead of poultry, of course, which also rehydrate in a snap. You can pretty much make this meal entirely from pantry staples on the fly, even when the fridge is otherwise bare.

Those who crave the bracing acidic bite of fresh citrus but sometimes neglect to stock their produce bin would be wise to invest in a surplus of these dried diamonds. Just like salt and pepper, you’ll find that they go with everything, and no dish is quite complete without that subtle seasoning. Trust me, you can expect to see a whole lot more instances of dried limes in my recipes from here on out.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)3 Comments