Monday, March 16, 2009

Curry leaf chutney (dipping )



Happy St.Patrick's Day!
I am very glad to post something green on this day.
I wish to make a post on some herb for Weekend Herb Blogging event started by Kalyn and now conducted by Halo . This week it is hosted by Yasmeen of Health Nut. Congrats dear!
The herb I have chosen is the curry leaf (Botanical name: murraya koenigi).
Hope this curry leaf chutney suits the event.

(courtesy : google images)
The curry leaf plant belongs to shrub variety and is a native of India ,Sri Lanka in Asia.
Where to find it? In all Indian stores. Globally they call it as curry leaf in English.
What is the price? Up to my knowledge , we can get a small pack of curry leaf (just enough to make this chutney) for one dollar in USA.
How to select them? Choose fresh and tender leaves.
Medicinal value:
It is used to treat kidney disorders, digestive disorders, premature grey hair, premature aged look, skin problems, nausea, vision disorders etc.
In case of a digestive upset, buttermilk enriched with the paste of curry leaves, common salt and cumin seed powder is recommended.

But the most popular dish recommended for diabetic patients, weight loss stimulant, beauty therapy is to make chutney / dipping out of it.
Because the curry leaves just like any other herb will tend to loose its medicinal value on overheating. Moreover each and every ingredient in this chutney will help our body to absorb the nutrients from the curry leaf.

Here is the recipe.

Curry leaf chutney / curry leaf dipping.


Ingredients:
Curry leaf - 15 sprigs (1 pack)
Shredded coconut - 2 tbsp
Tamarind extract - 1/2 tsp
green chilly - 3
cilantro leaf - a handful
garlic - 1 pod
cumin seed - 1/2 tsp
salt - 1/2 tsp

Method:
Remove the center stem in each brig and take the curry leaves alone.
Wash the cilantro and curry leaves in running water.
Remove the skin of garlic.
In a blender / mixer add all the above and grind them to a fine thick paste with very little water.
Curry leaf chutney is ready!

Notes: Do not temper the chutney as it may reduce the medicinal values.
We can add 3 drops of lime instead of tamarind juice.
Cilantro can be omitted , but it enhances the flavor.
Shredded coconut can be substituted by coconut milk, if you are using it as a dipping. But authentic chutney will have shredded coconut as the thickening agent.
Fresh garlic and cumin helps in absorption of the nutrients from the curry leaf.
Reduce the green chilly to suit your taste buds.

Serving suggestions:

In India it is Served as side dish / dipping for Idly , dosa, rice, roti.
It can also be used as spread on sandwiches and pizzas.
we can make it in advance and mix a pinch with buttermilk for a healthy drink.

If you want to know more about curry leaves , here are some links:
Medicinal values of curry leaf.
Curry leaf in Ayurveda.

curry leaf - other names.

30 comments:

FH said...

Lucky to get curry leaves to make chutney. It's like gold here, few sprigs cost a bunch of money. Looks yum. Great entry, enjoy St.Patrick's day there! :)

Nandinis food said...

I always love kariveppilai chutney.With garlic and cilantro ! wow I can smell from here.

Gita Jaishankar said...

I love karuveppelai chutney with dosas, yummy combination...adding garlic is very new to me, thnaks for the idea and the information about unripre papaya dear :)

Yasmeen said...

Happy St.Patrick's Day to you too,Vicki:).Curry leaf,sure is a uniquely Indian herb.We used to have a curry leaf plant in our backyard back home in India,fresh leaves made in to our cooking almost everyday,especially for tempering lentils.Mom never thought of making a chutney though,but I'll surely try when I get a nice fresh green bunch next time.
Thanks for the lovely entry:)

Finla said...

Wow i have never had chutney with curry leaves.
Like asha saaid it is worth gold here, i don't get them at all, so hen ever hubby goes to London he goest to the indian shop area and buy in bunches and then i freeze them.

Cham said...

Happy St Patrick Day. Great chutney Vicky!

Priya Suresh said...

I like chutney splly wit curry leaves, we get here in France for 50 cents, but as am living far away from Indian stores, i used buy 2 r 3 packets for a month..great to know more about curryleaves..

Chitra said...

chutney looks yumm vicky,do check out my chutney with adai:)

Chutneytales said...

I love the curry leaves pic :)
Chutney with curry leaves must be aromatic..Nice version,Viki

Poornima Nair said...

I would love to taste the chutney, sounds delicious. Curry leaves are so expensive out here, chutney would be a luxury:)

Varsha Vipins said...

Best herb n best dipping..:)

Malar Gandhi said...

Love the chutney...wish I get some curry leaves here too. Yeah...I agree lots of medicinal value! Now its revealed...the secret behind your long lengthy, healthy, jet black hair...ha ha.

Manju said...

curry leaves are soo expensive here that i save them up for the tadka..would love to make chutneys like this out of them!

Deepa Hari said...

Lovely chutney Viki....like ur version...Happy St.Patrick's day.

Unknown said...

thanks for sharing the recipe..i want to try this soon..

gtyuk said...

curry leaves chutney sounds yummm; havenever tried this; yours is tempting!!

Purva Desai said...

I simply love the aroma of curry leaves and use them almost daily in my cooking....will try ur chutney now..Thanks for sharing

Lavanya said...

i love karivepaaku(telugu)..I never tried this but i used to make curryleaves karam..nice pics!!

Anonymous said...

Lovely recipe. I love this chutney.
Nice info about curry leaves :)

First time here. Loved ur food blog. I am Anu from My Scrawls. Do visit my blog in ur free time. Would be happy to receive your comments.

Vibaas said...

i love this chutney and love to have it with rice and ghee (just a drop of it;-)). nice recipe

Suparna said...

Hi Viki,
Thanks for the visit and comment on my blog.I had heard about this chutney from one of my Tamil speaking friend.I have the recipe but haven't tried it yet. Reading abt the health benifits of the curry leaves, I think I should make it sometime soon :)
TC

Lavanya Siva said...

great recipe........

Paru ... said...

My first time here and Chutneylooks so fresh..Luv the flavour of curry leaves..

Unknown said...

I love this chutney.. looks yummy & delicious..nice entry...

Nandinis food said...

Viki,
whenever u have time check my blog.
thanks.

Sakshi said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sweta (My Indian Dietitian) said...

Yummm-I love chutneys and I'm always looking for different variations.Never tried it with curry leaves-I have all the ingredients for this in my fridge.Will give it a try and let you know if my 'taster'(hubby) was pleased ;-)

Unknown said...

I used to eat this chutney because amma used to tell that eating curry leaves helps hair growth!! Nice recipe.

Anonymous said...

Living in San Diego, the tree grows well, tolerates winter temps of 20's. I sent a tree (grew from seed) to a friend in Washington DC. she takes it into the house in November and back out in the spring...seems to tolerate hibernating in the house. The tree is very healthy looking after three years in DC!. THus I conclude every body living in the US should be able to grow a curry leaf tree. To grow from seed do the following: Like neem, the seeds are viable for about a month after maturing on the tree...take the seeds and wrap them in a moist paper towel (roll up), put into zip lock bag, put into sunny window. After about 10-14 days, the seeds will germinate. THen, carfully transfer the seedlings without breaking the emerging roots into a pot with nice potting soil... Good Luck.

Vikis Kitchen said...

Hello anonymous friend, I treasure your tips to grow curry leaf tree. Very helpful idea. Thanks.

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