Anyone know what this 'Curry' plant is?

[erins327]

Hey y'all,

So I have had this little herb plant for awhile now and was so excited to use it last weekend in an Indian dish, just to find out it tasted kinda bad, and when cooked, it tasted worse. When I google imaged what curry looks like, I certainly did not find this little plant.

I bought it advertised as 'curry' and it smells like curry. Anyone have any ideas of what it is and if it is usable?

THanks!

[grrlgeek]

Yeah the curry leaves used in southern Indian cooking grow on "curry trees" - Murraya koenigii. I would love to have one. I pay something like $2 for a little ziplock "snack size" baggie, not even full, at the Indian grocery store near me.

What I think you have is a "curry plant" Helichrysum italicum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helichrysum_italicum

[erins327]

Thank you very much that is it!

Unfortunately doesn't look like the cooking type. Used primarily for essential oils. Harph.

Oh well, the little guy can stay for now.

[imafan26]

Yeah, it is called curry plant because it smells like curry, but it is primarily ornamental.

Curry that you find on the spice shelf is usually a blend of herbs and not just one. Curry mixes can have between 8 and 20 ingredients in them. Turmeric gives curry its' yellow color and cumin and fenugreek probably have the strongest curry like flavor.

I have muraya koenigii. It is used in southern Indian cuisine for curry. It is not used alone. It tastes very different from the curry in the bottle.
P.S. the berries are edible too.

https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/ ... rcode=d441

[applestar]

Mine is just a baby -- this is the same kind @imafan mentioned.
(pictured on the left)

(on the right are two of my newly rooted Kaffir limes)

<<< thanks pepperhead212 >>>

[pepperhead212]

Lookin' good, applestar - those are both slow, at first, but once they get going, look out!

[GardeningCook]

Hey y'all,

So I have had this little herb plant for awhile now and was so excited to use it last weekend in an Indian dish, just to find out it tasted kinda bad, and when cooked, it tasted worse. When I google imaged what curry looks like, I certainly did not find this little plant.

I bought it advertised as 'curry' and it smells like curry. Anyone have any ideas of what it is and if it is usable?

THanks!

Yup - that's "Curry Plant", but as previously stated - Helichrysum italicum - not the curry plant used in Indian cooking (except for perhaps as an inedible garnish). Your "Curry Plant" is primarily grown for its curry scent - especially on hot sunny days - as well as as an ornamental. It's particularly nice in herbal "grey" gardens, "white" gardens, & "knot" gardens.

[applestar]

Here's an update photo of my little Curry Leaf plant. It seems to like the the window side position of WPPH (Winter Paradise Penthouse) which is above the covered greenhouse shelves with a 24" daylight HOT5, even though this north corner room can get pretty cold.

I'm hoping this plant will take off this summer.

[pepperhead212]

Lookin' good, except for that yellowing of the leaves, which pretty much disappears, once outside, with sunlight. The curry tree seems to need more light than my lime trees, but those sometimes get some of the yellowing, as well.

Now I have my curry tree in a SIP - a 4 gal bucket inside a 5 gal - and it works great! It is in a dish, to catch overflow when I water it, and it grows more than it ever did before while indoors.

[imafan26]

I had to give my curry tree an annual, maybe will have to be quarterly haircut, it was getting up to twenty feet tall. I am also finding some curry seedlings popping up in the yard.

[Gary350]

Yeah the curry leaves used in southern Indian cooking grow on "curry trees" - Murraya koenigii. I would love to have one. I pay something like $2 for a little ziplock "snack size" baggie, not even full, at the Indian grocery store near me.

What I think you have is a "curry plant" Helichrysum italicum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helichrysum_italicum

Your picture looks like Arizona Sage. When the plant is small it has a wonderful smell and flavor. It sure does make the house smell good. You can find it every where at the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Tucson, and mountains East of Phoenix. I looked up Curry wiki said it is a blend of 5 spices. Other places claim it is a blend of 7 spices and 8 spices and 11 spices. You cant believe anything these days. I bought a bag and bottle of Curry Spice the bag contains more spices than the bottle. I had a curry plant once it died. There must be a difference in the curry plant and the curry powder.

[imafan26]

The leaves of the curry tree do not smell or taste like the bottled curry. They also are not used alone. You still use the turmeric for color and you can add other spices like coriander, and pepper and garam masala.