On friday they had packets of curry leaves in our local supermarket so I got some just to see what they were like.
They were on rather thick bits of twig/stem about 1cm in diameter in places with quite small dark leaves.
Now we've been away for the weekend so I hadn't done anything with them and didn't put them in the fridge or anything.
On return they looked ok but smell like a damp house (or a cellar maybe) is this normal or have they gone off ?
Steve
they should not be on stems that thick, very thin in fact, maybe 1 - 2 mm. The mustiness says mold to me, I would bin them, don't take the risk, if its aspergillus mold, it can kill!!
Buy it fresh on thin stems, and freeze as soon as you can (same with Kaffir lime leaves).
What you should be buying is compound, pinnate leaves of curry plants looking like this; http://www.pataks.co.uk/cooking/spices/curry.php . They should not be on a 1 cm thick branch.
Lapis is right, if they smell bad, bin them. Next time, wash, dry on a towel for 12 hours or so and keep in a plastic bag in fridge/freezer. They will last a few months in the freezer.