TIL: I didn't even know curry leaves were a thing. I've only seen curry pastes and didn't think where they came from. There's way more info about what makes each different.

It's an unfortunate mix up - curry leaves and curry powder/paste are different things.

Curry leaves are just the aromatic leaves of a bush like plant used primarily in south Indian cooking much like basil or makrut lime leaves.

Curry pastes and powders are mixtures of spices: tumeric, cumin, coriander, fennel, mustard seeds, asafoetida, black pepper, cloves etc. Every region and family has their own blend of spices.

Ok thanks. So my understanding of curries was right just didn't also know that curry leaves are also another thing.

Curry leaves are usually used to make a "tadka" which is oil, mustard seed and other dried spices and curry leaves are heated up and then poured over a cooked dish like dal or sambar where it briefly sizzles and adds some flavor and aroma. You will also see it in some Indian fried snack packages.

https://www.seriouseats.com/what-is-tadka-tarka-chaunk-chhon...

> It's an unfortunate mix up - curry leaves and curry powder/paste are different things.

Reminds me of buying "chili powder" from an Asian grocery and getting powdered chiles instead. The resulting pot of chili was very bland and way too hot at the same time.

I'm from the UK and I'm curious what you would expect chilli powder to be?

Over here it's always just chillis.

In the US, it's a spice mix for cooking chili. (AKA "chili con carne," a popular meaty, spicy stew.) Chili powder has a bit of cayenne but mostly cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, etc.

I can imagine it being different outside the US, but this store was in Seattle so you can see my confusion.

I made the opposite mistake when I first moved to the US (: the bottle of chili powder sat in my pantry for years, being used for the very occasional pot of chili.

Chef Keith Sarasin has a wonderful video on the origins of the word "Curry". Do give it a watch in your free time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8AyelJo4Fo

You should be able to find the fresh leaves in small bags at Indian grocery stores in the U.S. In California, you can also purchase plants (they grow very slowly the first 3-4 years) in pots and survive mild CA winters.

You can have it in colder climates too, just make sure to move it indoors before the frost hits. It will lose all its leaves during the winter (you can cut the leaves and freeze them for winter) but the leaves come back in spring to summer.

Most indian Americans grow their own.

almost no one I know over here grows their own (also the time I tried I found them very hard to keep alive in san francisco). but I've also always lived in places with a lot of Indian stores that had them readily available, plus they keep forever in the freezer so it's easy to stock up on.

I know a few people in houston who do… not an expert in cooking or gardens myself.

I don’t but I know a chef with a few bushes on the side of his place of business (in New Orleans)

I'd love perilla leaves as well. I've been thinking about trying my hand and growing both.

It's thriving in my PNW window. Grew it from seeds and just needs water every few days.

It reseeds itself every year in my PNW garden.

You will have no problem growing perilla. You'll have the opposite problem, in fact.

Perilla / shiso is dead easy to grow. I'd advise putting it in a pot else it'll get everywhere.

that and fresh fenugreek!

Most Indian stores carry them. In SF, the one in the Mission definitely does. I think the one downtown does too.

Berkley bowl in Berkley carries it. It is I think one of the best grocery stores out there.

maybe you can try growing it, urban gardening style, on a window sill, or outside if you have a garden or yard.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry_tree

see the section Distribution and habitat.