and are to that region what cilantro is to
North Indian cooking—omnipresent.
Grown on a tree that’s a member of the
citrus family, the curry leaf is sold in
Indian grocery stores still attached to
thin, wiry branches. Pull the leaves off
and throw them into hot oil and you’ll
suddenly release all of the essential oils
and flavors—an addictive deep and
grassy taste, kind of a cross between
lemongrass and tangerines, and virtually
indescribable. The fresh leaves are best;
dried or frozen, they lose flavor.
- FENNEL SEEDS (SAUNF): These tiny
seeds, which look like slightly curled
green cumin, are the dried seeds from
the yellow flowers of a large, dill-like
