Curry Leaf

*Murraya koenigii*

How to know it

A small tree with glossy compound leaves made of many small pointed leaflets. Crushing a leaf gives a distinctive citrus and resin smell that is nothing like the powder sold under a similar name.

What it does

Used fresh across South Indian and Sri Lankan cooking, thrown into hot oil at the start of a dish. Traditionally used for digestion. It grows readily in a pot and tolerates being picked at constantly.

Safety

Safe to handle and taste.

Two things to do with children

Smell a crushed curry leaf and then smell curry powder. They are unrelated. That gap is a good introduction to the idea that a name is a label, not a description.

Grow one in a pot near the kitchen and let children pick leaves for cooking. A plant that gets used gets remembered.