Bay Leaf

Khansland Bay Leaf is dried whole Indian bay leaf (Cinnamomum tamala) — the large, smooth, three-veined leaves of the tejpata tree, which are fundamentally different in flavour from Mediterranean bay laurel. Indian bay leaf has a warm, cinnamon-clove aroma with a hint of eucalyptus — it is actually a member of the cinnamon family — and its flavour profile is far more compatible with the spice combinations of South Asian cooking.

Tejpata is an essential component of the Bengali biryani spice set, added to hot ghee at the very start of cooking where it immediately releases its cinnamon-scented oils to perfume the entire preparation. It is also a standard ingredient in the whole-spice temperings that begin many slow-cooked meat and lentil preparations, and appears as a standard component in any home-blended garam masala recipe.

Properly dried bay leaf should be supple enough to bend slightly without shattering, with a bright medium-green colour. The aroma when the leaf is briefly crumbled should be immediately apparent — warm, cinnamon-like, and clean. Our tejpata is harvested from organically managed tejpata trees in the Sylhet and Chittagong Hill Tracts regions, where natural forest canopy conditions produce leaves with higher essential oil content than plantation-grown bay leaves.