Howdy Folks...
I've heard of "curry plant" and had heard it has the same "smell/bouquet" as curry seasoning. However, I've not yet found a source of someone who's actually cooked with it. Has anyone out there grown it and also tried cooking with it?
Note: this is not the curry you buy in the seasoning section at the stores but rather a "curry-like" plant. (Helichrysum italicum)
Anyone have input on this, please?
Thanks!
Shoe
Curry Plant...anyone grow it? (Helichrysum)
I have grown Curry plant several times- love the aroma. I don't believe it is for cooking. It needs pretty full sun and does not like a lot of water. My experience is that it is prone to infestations of tiny black worms that make webs on the tips of the stems. Not the easiest of herbs to grow!
I've got one! I like the aroma and the delicate, feathery foliage. I've snipped a bit into cottage cheese, but haven't done any serious cooking with it. DeBaggio suggests adding it after cooking, or using in chilled dishes such as deviled eggs, so apparantly its flavor would be impaired by heat.
It's only hardy to 15 degrees, so since mine was in a pot it came inside for the winter. It's put on a lot of new growth in my sunroom, but the new leaves are paler in both color and flavor -- there's hardly any scent at all. Next winter, if it's still surviving, I'll probably try to keep it semi-dormant by my basement window so it doesn't make all that insipid new growth.
Ahhh, I see.
Okay, thanks to both of you. I was thinking of adding it to my line of sales this year but maybe I'll hold off and maybe pick one up just to give it a personal try first.
Again, thanks!
Shoe
Shoe, the "curry plant" in the Helichrysum family is not at all the same as the "curry leaf" that is used in *surprise* curries! The actual curry leaf is a distant relative of the rue plant. The botanical name is murraya koenigii.
http://www.bhatia-nurseries.com/curry.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murraya_koenigii
http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Murr_koe.html
http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/curry.htm
Thanks, Mermaid.
I think I'd like to grow curry "leaf". For years I thought 'curry powder' that you buy at the store was a mixture of herbs, not just one plant so I was beginning to get confused on this 'curry plant' stuff.
Now I read (in your third link) that I was not misguided in my thinking and that there are powder mixtures of herbs as well as the curry leaf plant. Whew, doesn't do my brain good to get too confused! It's a mess in there already!
Thanks for the links and info!
Shoe
LOL! Shoe, your brain has never seemed confused to me........mischievious, yes, confused, no.
"curry powder" is a standardized spice mix made for the British during the time of "empire" for those who couldn't/wouldn't learn how to make Indian food yet wanted to eat it. A spice blend is known as a "masala". It will vary based on region and type of food prepared. Some have ground, dried curry leaves in them, many so not. A common blend that is used along with other spices is "garam masala", which means "warming spices". Depending on the recipe/brand, this can be mildly warming or fiery hot.
The Brussel sprout recipe that I posted in the Recipes forum uses both curry leaves and garam masala, along with nutmeg, paprika, black mustard seed and urad dal to season.
http://davesgarden.com/place/t/664658/
The curry plant that actually smells wonderful, just like curry, I thought this one was ornamental curry ?http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/heltalicum.htm Is it actually used in cooking?
The actual curry plant http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/curry.htm is what I have.
I like what this second link says about all the spices mixed together.
kathyA_ann, do you cook many curries? If so, do you use a spice mixture sold as "curry powder" or blend your own spices?
The helichrysum italicum that is known as "curry plant" has an interesting smell, but it doesn not smell like curry to me nor to most of my friends who make curries regularly. Not sure I would want to cook with it. Is it possible that this plant smells like curry (or most likely, "curry powder") to those who don't actually cook curries. I make a lot of curries by blending my own spices. We don't have any commericial "curry powder" in the house. Commercial "curry powders" that I have smelled or tasted seem to be predominately tumeric and cumin powder, with only minor amounts of other spices. I'd have a mutiny at mealtime if I substituted "curry powder" for a proper masala in the dish.
Yes, to me the helichrysum does smell like the curry powder that you find in the stores.
I've never used the other curry in my curry dishes, as it's way too small yet. and I'm not sure which one I have, if I have dwarf or regular o r what, It grows tremendously slowly , LOL maybe it will shoot up this spring, I use the spice mix in the store, and often find curry pastes in the health food store that I really like.
If you like Indian style curries, this cookbook by Yamuna Devi does a good job of explaining the spices and techniques as well as a number of regional styles and many, many dishes:
http://tinyurl.com/ys6ta6
Thanks for the link mermaid, I'll check it out.
I love curry dishes,
I got a start of Helichrysum italicum, from a friend.. Just thought I would do a search and see how to cook with it.. Not knowing , of course, that I didn't have the "real" stuff. I do realize that it's not winter hardy and that I will have to keep it inside through the winter. I think it smells great. Really. The stuff I learn here.
I think I would like to try to raise the murraya koenigii too.
I don't think the murraya koenigii tastes like curry, the fake one smells more like it than this one does. And the TRUE curry is a mixture of different spices. Not one spice , I don't know much about this tree I know it's used in indian cooking, but it can't take the place of curry in the dishes, cause it tastes nothing like it. my opinion only though.
I think "curry leaf" is sometimes used as one of many seasoning components in a curry... you're right, the Helochyrsum "curry plant' does smell a lot like the yellow McCormick's type of "curry powder."
For cooking, I'm "stuck" on Patak curry pastes... sold in jars at the Indian grocery. I made a big batch of Vindaloo pork (with onions, potatoes, and a few diced tomatoes) last week... yum!
That sounds great.
I love curried dishes, but not big on fixing them.
For the past few years, I have planted a large assorted herb container. This year, the container consisted of Dill, Tender Rose, Lemen Balm, Chocolate Mint, Curry, Rosemary, Silver Thyme, Chives and Mexican Heather. The silver curry adds a nice foliage combo....& it smalls neat when you touch it.
I'm really loving the fact that it smells like the curry seasoning and it's also a pretty neat plant. I do wish it was more edible though.
JoanneOgilvie, I am not familiar with Tender Rose?
Joanne, that sounds lovely, but I don't know how you keep the Chocolate Mint from taking over the entire container! 'Tender Rose' has me curious, also...
I try different Tea Roses. Buy them bareroot in a bag & treat them like an annual, if I don't have time to replant it in the veggie garden in the fall. This year, chose one called Miranda. My favorite is Ingrid Bergman. I like Red Tea roses in the center of the herb container, with lots of trailing vines, like sweet potato. In my Zone, all Tea roses are considered tender, since they will not survive the winter, even in the ground.
The container is treated like an annual container. Most herbs are not availble until June & the fall frost usually is Mid Sept. The mint does spread, but if it starts out tiny, it 's not too bad.
The true curry leaf does add a distinctive flavour to Indian dishes. The "yellow McCormick's" type of curry powder would make most East Indians cringe, but it does come in handy for non-Indian type dishes like in "curried eggs", or curried mayonaise type of dishes.
Helichrysum italica is most famous as an herb for use on the skin. The essential oil from this plant is wonderful for treating scar tissue.
http://www.wildcrafted.com.au/Immortelle.html
Hey, it does have a use! Thanks, mermaid!
Joanne, now you've got me really curious... just how big is this container?!? I would love to see a photo... maybe you could start another thread (so your garden doesn't get "lost" in the middle of this thread) and show us photos of your container herb garden. Please? :-)
I will have access to my home computer on the weekend, so I will find a picture of the herb container. It's about 2-1/2 feet in diameter & 3 feet high. I did post a number of pictures on a few different forums, but not the herb container on it's own. I have posted most pics in the Container Forum & Canadian Forum.
What a great size for a container garden! I hope you've got it near an entrance so you can snip away...
I was reading this and getting straight on curry plant vs. curry seasoning and all and then, Joanne's mention of a rose in a container of herbs flashed a light on. I think that is a really neat idea. Of all the fuss people make over how to grow roses, this is one of the easiest and prettiest ways I've heard of!! Do post a picture, Joanne!! I like your attitude--you don't care if i's not hardy, you grow it like an annual!! That's cool. But you must be one of those lucky people who can find those lovely roses in a bag for $5, eh?? I can't seem to find any under $15 most of the time.
Well, search thru a bunch of pictures & doesn't look like I took one specifically of the Herb container. It is along the fence in this picture.
Another mid August with the humming bird feeder
And here's one from early May. I did buy some of the bagged roses from Home Depot for about $6. each
Thanks, Joanne! Those are lovely containers! I think that is a really neat idea with roses and herbs. Your other containers are really colorful. I miss summer already!!
I haven't grown curry plant yet, nor do I cook much with curry powder, though I do like curried chicken and rice every so often.