Curry Leaf Plant

Indians love curry leaves! The leaves of the curry tree, or sweet neem tree (Bergera koenigii). Its aromatic flavor is highly-desired in several Indian dishes.

Growing up in rural India, we had several curry leaf plants in our yard. People in the village would just come and pick as much as they needed. They did not even take permission.

But then I came to Southern California. And I was shocked to see a few sprigs of the leaves being sold at $1–2. It is a specialty commodity here, and not even found in other shops, except Indian groceries, which are not located nearby, at the first place.

Sometimes I would buy the leaves, even though they were costly. Planting a tree of my own was not possible!

Online purchasing of the plant is expensive. Grocery stores sell the plants sometimes, with exorbitant prices. We did not have a sunny space, a necessity for healthy growth of the plant. Bringing some saplings from India was not possible with strict scrutiny in the airports.

I was very unhappy with the situation. I was already missing the monsoon in this drought-hit place. Now, I don’t even get a spice so nostalgic, a taste our palate is so used to!

Then my spouse changed job and joined an office with several Indians. Some of they had curry leaf plants. They started sharing so much fresh curry leaves, and I never ran out again. Every other week, someone would send some of those. It wasn’t just curry leaves! They shared lemons, pomegranates, drumsticks, guavas, kumquats, jujubes. Of course, the curry leaves were the stars.

Then one day, a friend surprised me! She had got two curry leaf seeds from a priest at the temple she visited often. She sowed the seeds in her balcony pots. They germinated and grew into seedlings. When the plants were a foot tall, she shared one with me!

I can say, it was one of the most precious gifts to me, ever!

Not only I needed one, but the way she raised them was impressive. It’s not easy to grow curry leaf plants from seeds in pots on balconies with limited sunlight. She worked a miracle!! And shared one miracle with me. I promised her to take great care of the sapling.

I planted it in another pot, as the original was waterlogged. Then I planted it in the ground when we had a backyard. With half-baked knowledge, I made a blunder of chopping the top to induce bushy growth. The intention was good, but the hot summer, recent transplantation shock, and the small size of the plant were not the right criteria for pruning.

The plant was stunted and sickly, so I moved it to another sunny place. It seemed to get better but again succumbed to summer heat. I was sad that I made her hard work futile. I felt very guilty.

But when the cold weather came, like a Phoenix, new shoots emerged from the roots. Imagine my joy! The plant is still not lush, and not out of the woods yet, but its alive. It is 2 feet tall and has several shoots.

I have not bought curry leaves since then. My kids pick from this backyard curry leaf plant.

I use these leaves to temper lentil, curries, fries, and chutneys. Here are some recipes, where I have used the leaves.

This plant is not an ordinary plant but a slice of my childhood. It's a prized member of the backyard garden.

If you love gardening and is driven by nostalgia, you will like the story. Have you tried these culinary leaves?