Fresh Curry Leaves - Freeze or Dry?

I have some beautiful fresh curry leaves that I was planning to use tomorrow.



Plans have changed. Opinions on whether I should let them air-dry or freeze them?

Thanks, Lynn

I'd do neither unless the plans have DRASTICALLY changed - they'll be fine for a few weeks in the fridge. I have never frozen or dried them, so I can't comment. I'd imagine they'd be useless dried because they seem fairly oily. Also, they are dirt cheap around my parts, so I've never thought about long term storage. I buy a pkg of a decent fistfull for 89 cents, and usually use most of it in a month's time.

I freeze leftover Kaffir lime leaves and they are fragrant for more than 6 months, after which they do lose moisture, color, and fragrance (i.e. oil). I would think that curry leaves are somewhat similar.

As seebee noted above, they do keep for more than 1 week in the fridge and nothing compares to fresh leaves, especially if they are readily available and inexpensive.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide and how they turn out.

If you are keeping them for more than a couple of weeks freezing is the easier way to go (just make sure they are in an air tight container). You can dry them too - the best way to go is to dry them in a low oven (dried leaves are frequently used & were the way curry leaves were usually purchased & stored before refrigeration became so available). I've seen methods of drying them in the microwave too, but I've never tried it myself.

As others have stated, I've had curry leaves stay fresh for weeks in the fridge. If you must store them for longer, I would opt for freezing which helps retain some of the oils and aroma.

Jyoti

Great - I'm going to leave them in the fridge and will let you know how my "South Indian Sweet-and-Sour Tamarind Rice" turns out. Thanks, All!

P.S. - as long as I have your attention, I'll only be using a "walnut-sized" ball of tamarind pulp from the 14oz package of seedless wet tamarind I bought. Will the leftover keep for awhile in the refrigerator as well?

LynnB wrote:P.S. - as long as I have your attention, I'll only be using a "walnut-sized" ball of tamarind pulp from the 14oz package of seedless wet tamarind I bought. Will the leftover keep for awhile in the refrigerator as well?

I have kept tamarind pulp in the fridge for months, as long as you keep in airtight container to prevent edges from drying. Or divide them into smaller pieces, wrap in plastic film, and freeze. You will always have some on hand.

It took me a lot longer than I originally thought it would to get around to making this dish. I was amazed at how well the curry leaves held up in the fridge!

(Apologies for the dark photos. )

Most of the Mis en Place for the Rice:


I cooked some basmati rice in my rice cooker. The rest of the preparation consisted of three separate processes. First - soak the tamarind pulp in hot water and then push the water and pulp through a chinois. Bring it to a boil with the rasam powder, some salt, and brown sugar. Simmer until thickened. Next - in a dry skillet, toast the cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, black peppercorns, and sesame seeds. Let cool and grind in a spice grinder. Add that mix along with a couple of tablespoons of unsweetened coconut to the tamarind liquid and keep warm. Lastly - toast some peanuts in ghee, remove, and then add the curry leaves and black mustard seeds to the remaining ghee and toast until the seeds pop.

When the rice is done, mix in the tamarind liquid, the peanuts, and the ghee mixture.

Doesn't look like much, but this was very tasty:



(Edited to add, my source for what I describe generally above is "Great Vegetarian Dishes: Over 240 Recipes From Around the World" by Kurma dasa. The complete recipe is on page 11.)

I served it with some Tandoori-Style Fish:




Thanks, everyone, for all the tips! I did freeze the leftover tamarind.