Start to sample hot curry from the East infused with hint of coriander leaf (8)
I believe the answer is:
shamrock
'leaf' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both plants as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps there's a link between them I don't understand?
'start to sample hot curry from the east infused with hint of coriander' is the wordplay.
'start to' indicates taking the first letters.
'curry' becomes 'korma' (I've seen this before).
'from the east' says the letters should be written in reverse (on a map from right to left).
'infused with' is an insertion indicator.
'hint of' suggests taking the first letters (the smallest possible amount of the word).
The initial letters of 'sample hot' is 'sh'.
The first letter of 'coriander' is 'c'.
'korma' reversed gives 'amrok'.
'amrok' placed around 'c' is 'amrock'.
'sh'+'amrock'='SHAMROCK'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for shamrock that I've seen before include "Sign of first part of 10 [IRISH [SEA]]" , "Native Irish trefoil" , "Symbol of Ireland" , "Mash cork into the emblem" , "Pressed grape-juice" .)