I’m new to cooking with curry leaves, although I’ve wanted to try them for quite some time. From what I’ve read, if you want the best flavor from them, you need the fresh leaves. One day, when I was in a local Asian market looking for toor dal, I spotted some very fresh-looking curry leaves & decided to give them a  try. 

Curry can be confusing. Just going by the name, you might assume that curry powder is simply ground curry leaves. Nope! Curry powder is actually a blend of spices. The exact blend varies by region, family, or individual preferences. While many curry dishes do use curry leaves, curry powders do not contain curry leaves. 

I decided to try a recipe I found on the Fine Cooking website. I’ve taken the liberty of tweaking it (very little), and renaming it (mostly because I’ll always remember it as “that curry leaf recipe with the potatoes” & therefore will be more likely to be able to find it again). It’s really quite easy, and quite delicious! It’s not really spicy, there’s just a bit of kick from the jalapeño. I’ll definitely be making it again. There’s a printer-friendly version of the recipe at the bottom of the page.

Note that my ingredient pic includes the items I went to the market for in the first place, toor dal & sambal (curry) powder. Those were for a different recipe, & do not get used here. 

Ingredients:

1 (12 oz.) bag baby red potatoes

¾ tsp ground coriander

¾ tsp whole cumin seeds

¼ tsp ground turmeric

8 – 10 curry leaves

1 medium clove garlic

½ fresh jalapeño pepper

½ tsp kosher salt

scant ¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper

½ small red onion

¼ cup fresh mint leaves

¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp yellow mustard seeds

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Preparation:

1.) Once you start cooking, the next several steps go pretty quickly. It’s a lot easier, & therefore more fun, if you prep all the ingredients before you start cooking. So: Wash, scrub, & quarter the potatoes. Place in a medium bowl of cool water, enough to cover the potatoes completely. Set aside. Combine coriander, cumin, and turmeric in a small prep bowl. Park the curry leaves on top, and set aside. Mince the garlic and jalapeño. Set aside. Combine the salt and cayenne in a separate bowl, and set aside. Finely chop the onion, and set aside. Finely chop the mint and cilantro. Set aside.

2.) Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds, and cover with a lid or splatter screen. Heat for a minute or two, until the seeds start to pop.

3.) Stir in the ground spices & curry leaves. Cook another minute or two, stirring frequently, until the curry leaves crisp up. Add the garlic & jalapeño, and cook for another minute.  (Keep your face clear of the steam, you don’t want any jalapeño fumes in your eyes!)

4.) Now drain the potatoes & add them to the pan. Add the onions. Stirring frequently, cook about 3 more minutes. Reduce heat, cover the pan, and cook about 15 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently, to keep the potatoes from scorching.

5.) Once the potatoes are tender, add in the salt & cayenne. After 30 seconds or so, you can stir in the remaining ingredients (herbs & lemon juice). Remove from heat, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Stir well, scraping the bottom of the pan, before serving.