Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Daun Kari / Curry Leaves


Istilah "curry" dalam bahasa Inggeris mungkin berasal daripada perkataan bahasa Tamil yang merujuk kepada mana-mana satu hidangan sampingan yang dimakan bersama-sama dengan nasi. [1] Selain itu, daun kari yang dikenali dalam bahasa Tamil sebagai 'karuvapillai' (secara harfiahnya bermaksud "daun hitam") digunakan dalam berbagai-bagai hidangan umum di India Selatan yang diperbuat daripada sayur-sayuran atau daging dan biasanya, dimakan dengan nasi.
For the "Curry Plant", see Helichrysum italicum. Kadipatta or Sweet Neem leaf

The small flowers are white and fragrant.
The Curry Tree or Kadipatta or Sweet Neem leaf.(Murraya koenigii; syn. Bergera koenigii, Chalcas koenigii) is a tropical to sub-tropical tree in the family Rutaceae, which is native to India. at Jayanti in Buxa Tiger Reserve in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, India.
It is a small tree, growing 4-6 m tall, with a trunk up to 40 cm diameter. The leaves are pinnate, with 11-21 leaflets, each leaflet 2-4 cm long and 1-2 cm broad. The flowers are small white, and fragrant. The small black, shiny berries are edible, but their seeds are poisonous.
The species name commemorates the botanist Johann Gerhard Koenig.

Its leaves are highly aromatic and are used as a herb. Their form is small and narrow and they somewhat resemble the leaves of the Neem tree; therefore they are also referred to as Kari Baavu (translated to Black Neem) in the Kannada language and Karivepaku in Telugu, again translating to the same meaning. In Tamil and Malayalam it is known as Karuveppilai, ilai meaning leaves and veppilai meaning Neem leaf. Other names include Kari Patta (Hindi), Bhursunga Patra (Oriya), Kadhi Limb (Marathi), Kadhi Limdo (Gujarati) and Karapincha (Sinhalese).
They are commonly used as seasoning in Indian and Sri Lankan cooking, much like bay leaves and especially in curries with fish or coconut milk. In their fresh form, they have a short shelf life though they may be stored in a freezer for quite some time. They are also available dried, though the aroma is inferior.
Various biological activities of Murraya koenigii include antidiabetic , antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, anti-hypercholesterolemic etc.,

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