IT?S MOST practical and economical to use certain leaves to add flavor to your cooking. These leaves come from plants that are easy to grow and hardly need any maintenance. Moreover, they provide us with culinary ingredients that are free of charge.

The first great flavoring is the curry pata leaf, which gives that wonderful Asian curry flavor to coconut-based dishes. Don?t limit its usage to curry dishes, however, because it also blends well with any kind of bean or veggie dish, sautéed with tomatoes. We have added it to ginisang monggo (sautéed lentils), sautéed banana heart and mixed vegetables.

The second outstanding leaf is the anise leaf, which immediately overwhelms you with its sweet smell. Anise enhances the taste of desserts, such as plantain bananas, sweet potato or cassava cooked in syrup. These leaves also heighten the flavor of desserts cooked in coconut milk or dairy, such as sweet rice or ginataan halo-halo.

Herbal taste

Another amazing leaf is the Italian oregano, which gives that herbal taste to pasta or Italian dishes cooked with tomatoes. The leaf is quite tiny, and you need several of them to throw into your cooking.

Where do we get these plants? The Manila Seedling Bank and FTI weekend market have them. Ask your favorite garden shops to source them out for you. They?re relatively cheap, handy and easy to look after. The curry pata leaf and anise also grow in pots if you don?t have a garden. The Italian oregano grows into a bush, and will supply you with numerous cuttings.

So, why not welcome them into your home?