Tej patta
The leaf of a cinnamon-family tree, used whole in Indian rice and curry bases.
Also: indian bay leaf, tamalpatra, cassia leaf, malabathrum
Tej patta is the leaf of Cinnamomum tamala, a tree of the Himalayan foothills. It is not the bay laurel of Europe. The leaf is larger, with three long veins, and smells of cinnamon, clove and a hint of pine rather than the milder laurel scent. Cooks drop it whole into hot oil at the start of biryani, pulao and curries, then remove it before eating, since it stays hard. Roman writers knew the leaf as malabathrum and used it in perfumes and wines. It is dried in the shade to protect its oil, and it keeps its fragrance for a year or more in a closed container.