Curry Leaves give off an intense spicy aroma with a citrus note and have a warm, pleasant and lemony taste that is faintly bitter. Curry leaves are as important to Asian food as bay leaves are to European food. Curry leaves, either fresh or dried, are usually the first ingredient added to the small amount of oil in which a dish is to be cooked, and the fragrance and flavour are unmistakable. The leaves are highly valued as seasoning in South Indian and SriLankan cooking, much like bay leaves and especially in curries with fresh coconut milk.