Curry leaves

Curry leaves are from the curry tree plant, native to India. The leaves are cultivated and usually fried along with the onion and other ingredients at the initial preparation of the curry. They have a distinctive 'curry - like' flavour and smell and impart an almost meaty, bitter savouriness to the taste of the curry. They can be removed at the end of cooking as they can be chewy. 

I usually snap up fresh curry leaves if I see them and freeze them for use later on. They do not keep very well in the refrigerator and will dry and become useless if stored at room temperature. They are also believed to be very good for hair.