Many herbs are grown primarily for the seeds that are used
in cooking. Some of these are dill, fennel, anise, caraway,
lovage, coriander, cumin, cardamom, fenugreek, mustard,
sesame and ajwain. Many of these most of us are familiar
with and have used in our cooking, but some like ajwain and
cardamom, are not as common. Today I wanted to profile
these two spices.
CARDAMOM
Cardamom is the seed of a perennial bush that is in the
ginger family . True cardamom is Elettaria cardamom,
but several species are used for their fruit, or seeds.
It grows wild in the tropics, and the plants are harvested
from October to December before they ripen. The seed
pods are removed whole from plant.You can buy whole
pods, just the seeds or ground cardamom. The freshest
seeds will be the ones in the pods that you can take out
and grind as you need them.
Black cardamom has the strongest flavor and is brown in
color. Smaller pods are green and you can also purchase
bleached pods which are white. Experiment with placing
a whole pod in soups or stews and the outer shell will sort
of dissolve and the seeds will flavor the dish. This works
well with bean or lentil dishes. Try adding a small amount
of ground cardamom, 1/8 tsp. or so, to your baked bean
recipes or to apple desserts. You can also add ground
cardamom to sugar or butter cookie recipes as well as
gingerbread or gingersnaps.
Cardamom Tea Loaf
Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp. freshly ground cardamom
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
1/4 c. sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 stick butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.. Lightly grease and flour a loaf
pan. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Beat the
eggs and sugar together until creamy. Add dry ingredients and
mix until combined. Add in the sour cream and melted butter,
stirring to mix. Pour the batter into prepared pan, baking until
done, about an hour. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out
onto rack and finish cooling.
AJWAIN SEEDS
Ajwain seeds, carum copticum or trachyspermum ammi, is a
small fruit that is referred to as a seed. Its flavor is similar
to thyme, but much stronger. The flavor is enhanced by roasting
or frying the seeds first. It goes well with potatoes, fish, beans,
and lentils. Ajwan is often used in Indian and African cuisine.
The ground seed has a reputation for reducing the gaseous
effects of beans when cooked with them for a short time.
Ajwain can be combined with spices such as turmeric, paprika,
cumin, black pepper, fennel or coriander. A little goes a long
ways so don't use much.
Murgh Ke Mazedar Tukray (Chicken Bits)
>From Madhur Jaffrey's Quick & Easy Indian Cooking
Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut each chicken breast piece into
thirds, then lengthwise and then crosswise into 3/4-inch to
1-inch segments. Place in a bowl. Add all the spices and 1
tablespoon of oil.. Mix well and set aside for 10 minutes
or longer. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large non-stick pan
over very high heat. When oil is very hot put in chicken. Stir
fry quickly until chicken pieces are lightly browned or turn
opaque on outside. Put in baking dish, cover loosely with
lightly oiled waxed paper (which should sit inside dish and
directly on chicken) and bake for 8-10 minutes or until
chicken pieces are cooked through. If not to be eaten
immediately, remove chicken pieces for dish to prevent
them from drying out. Seasonings can be premixed and
used on fish, beef and pork.
