Curry leaf mayonnaise

TIME15 minutes MAKES250ml PORTION
0.5x 1x 2x 3x

Curry leaves are one of my favourite herbs — a leaf from a tree in the citrus family, they have a unique citrusy-adjacent flavour. I always have hundreds of curry leaves in my freezer (and have a curry leaf plant in my apartment), so am always trying to incorporate curry leaves where possible.

This infused mayonnaise recipe is adapted from Serious Eats, but feel free to adapt it with any herbs or spices you have on hand. You can also replace the oil with ghee or butter to make a curry leaf hollandaise.

INGREDIENTS

Infused oil

  • 14 cardamom pods (pods discarded and seeds crushed or ground).
  • 20 fresh curry leaves (finely chopped or ground)
  • 12-15 fresh curry leaves (whole)
  • 120 ml sunflower oil (or, optionally, replace with debittered mustard oil)
  • 1 tsp tumeric (optional)
  • 1 whole dried chilli (optional)

Mayonnaise

  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 small garlic clove (crushed)
  • 2 tbsp (30 ml) lime juice or rice vinegar
  • Salt, to taste

The following are optional additional flavourings:

  • 1 tbsp mustard
  • 2 tsp honey or sugar
  • 1/2 tsp chilli powder
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

STEPS

  1. Put the cardamom seeds, blitzed curry leaves, and other optional spices into a small saucepan on high heat for 1 minute, until fragrant.

  2. Point in the oil and heat for 30 seconds, or until gently bubbling, before adding the whole curry leaves and gently frying until they are crisp, about 30 seconds.

  3. Take the pan off the heat and remove the whole curry leaves for garnish. Leave the oil to infuse for 30 minutes, or until completely cool. Set aside 1/2 tablespoon of the oil (with some aromatics) to serve. Strain the remaining oil into a measuring jug, discarding the remaining aromatics.

  4. Put the egg yolk, garlic, 1 tbsp of the lime juice, and other optional ingredients into a bowl, and whisk. Start adding the cooled infused oil, very slowly in a thin stream, until it thickens. Transfer into a small bowl and stir in another teaspoon of lime juice to let the mayonnaise down a little. If it splits or gets too thick, whisk in a teaspoon of water until it is emulsified.

NOTES

The mayonnaise should keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Related