I found 250 grams (8 oz.) of cardamom in the pod in a bazaar today. It cost about $6 after some haggling. I have a couple of questions. What do you use cardamom for and what flavor does it impart? Can I grind the pod or do I have to break the seeds out of every pod? Did I get a great deal? What type of meat benefits from a cardamom flavor?
Cardamom
- Thread starter Lance
- Start date
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Cardamom goes nicely in rubs for beef, lamb and goat. It also works in veg dishes that include substantial onion, especially if sauteed or caramelized, and works with garlic and ginger. It is a key spice in the spice blends collectively known as curry (Indian, not Thai) and it is used in many of the blends of north and east Africa, notably ras el hanout of Morocco and berbere of Ethiopia and Eritrea, all cuisines I am fond of.
The flavor is unique, not easily described. It is pungent and a little goes a long way. In this way it is similar to other 'sweet' spices like allspice, clove, nutmeg, mace, true or cassia cinnamons, and works with those as well as with ground pepper, onion, garlic, thyme, marjoram, bay, cumin, coriander, fenugreek (see if you can find that) and chilies if various heats--but not so well with basil and rosemary.
Green and white pods of quality (no splits or cracks) sell for about $25 and $44 per half-pound, respectively, here.
Yes, you have to open the pods and grind the seeds only. In a rub, say, for a typical brisket flat one might use about 1/2 t--1 t tops.
Hope this helps.
The flavor is unique, not easily described. It is pungent and a little goes a long way. In this way it is similar to other 'sweet' spices like allspice, clove, nutmeg, mace, true or cassia cinnamons, and works with those as well as with ground pepper, onion, garlic, thyme, marjoram, bay, cumin, coriander, fenugreek (see if you can find that) and chilies if various heats--but not so well with basil and rosemary.
Green and white pods of quality (no splits or cracks) sell for about $25 and $44 per half-pound, respectively, here.
Yes, you have to open the pods and grind the seeds only. In a rub, say, for a typical brisket flat one might use about 1/2 t--1 t tops.
Hope this helps.
Kevin,
Thanks for the information. Do you know of a berbere or Middle Eastern rub that uses cardamom? It sounds like a flavor I would like to try. I will have to work on finding goat or lamb because I would have to procure it from a local.
It is good to know that I haggled for a good deal. The cardomom is the green pod variety and the pods are in great condition. I may have to pick some more up. I also found some honey today and will use that in a marinade in the future.
Lance
Thanks for the information. Do you know of a berbere or Middle Eastern rub that uses cardamom? It sounds like a flavor I would like to try. I will have to work on finding goat or lamb because I would have to procure it from a local.
It is good to know that I haggled for a good deal. The cardomom is the green pod variety and the pods are in great condition. I may have to pick some more up. I also found some honey today and will use that in a marinade in the future.
Lance
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I should be able to come up with something for you. In the 'cocoa rub' post you said you had:
cocoa powder, sweet paprika, granulated garlic, granulated onion, cayenne, black pepper, dried sage, dried parsley, kosher salt, lemon pepper.
Anything new other than the cardamom? (Btw, yes, the cocoa is meant to blend with the other flavors. You could up it a bit, adding a little more sugar, but to much would be cocoa-y and quite possibly over-the-top.)
I also see you have chilies from Bryan.
It would be good if you could get fenugreek (in Arabic al-hulbah, the fenugreek', or simply hulbah. I think WorldSpice will ship to APOs to I can probably get you some from there.
Honey is a good find--for marinades, yes, and for sauces too.
cocoa powder, sweet paprika, granulated garlic, granulated onion, cayenne, black pepper, dried sage, dried parsley, kosher salt, lemon pepper.
Anything new other than the cardamom? (Btw, yes, the cocoa is meant to blend with the other flavors. You could up it a bit, adding a little more sugar, but to much would be cocoa-y and quite possibly over-the-top.)
I also see you have chilies from Bryan.
It would be good if you could get fenugreek (in Arabic al-hulbah, the fenugreek', or simply hulbah. I think WorldSpice will ship to APOs to I can probably get you some from there.
Honey is a good find--for marinades, yes, and for sauces too.
Clark Deutscher
TVWBB All-Star
I have also made pudding out of cardamom that turned out really well. Although you need cornstarch and milk as well....
Clark Deutscher
TVWBB All-Star
Well this just feels weird after all the recipes I have taken from you! Anyways here it is. I got the base of it from a friend about six months ago. Haven't changed much. I would be interested to see what you would change though.....
Caradmom Pudding
7 Cardamom Pods
4 C whole milk
1/4 C sugar
1/3 C Cornstarch
1 t ground Cardamom
Crack cardamom pods and mix with milk bringing to boil over med heat or so
Mix sugar, cornstarch, and ground cardamom with a bit of milk (probably a quarter or a third cup)
Pull milk from heat add in sugar cornstarch mixture. Return to low - med heat and stir to a boil again.
Put through a strainer and put in bowls to chill in the fridge for at least a couple hours.
I top it with a fruit puree when it's set. I usually use either, peach, nectarine, or mango. I just puree the fruit with some sugar and some ginger, cinamon, nutmeg, or allspice.
Clark
Caradmom Pudding
7 Cardamom Pods
4 C whole milk
1/4 C sugar
1/3 C Cornstarch
1 t ground Cardamom
Crack cardamom pods and mix with milk bringing to boil over med heat or so
Mix sugar, cornstarch, and ground cardamom with a bit of milk (probably a quarter or a third cup)
Pull milk from heat add in sugar cornstarch mixture. Return to low - med heat and stir to a boil again.
Put through a strainer and put in bowls to chill in the fridge for at least a couple hours.
I top it with a fruit puree when it's set. I usually use either, peach, nectarine, or mango. I just puree the fruit with some sugar and some ginger, cinamon, nutmeg, or allspice.
Clark
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Yummmmy, thanks. A definite do.
Lance--
Here are a couple blends...:
Berbere (bear-bear-ee), the Ethiopian blend, ubiquitous in their cuisine--and a favorite of mine--is spicy and hot. You can lessen the heat by changing the chilies if you wish.
12-15 dried African birdseye peppers, stemmed and partially seeded (sub 1 T cayenne or a mix of ground chilies, according to desired heat)
10 green cardamom pods
10 cloves
1 t cumin seeds
1 t coriander seeds
1 t fenugreek seeds
6 allspice berries
2 t black peppercorns
1 t ajowan fruits (sub 1.5 t dried thyme)
1 t ground ginger
.5 t ground nutmeg
If needing to add salt to this (necessary for some recipes) add about 2 T. As a rub, salt the meat first, apply over the salt when the meat moistens.
If using ground spices just measure out the equivalent amount (use 1 t for the whole cloves and allspice berries). Heat a small dry skillet over med heat till hot. Crack the cardamom pods and add them to the pan with the other whole spices. Shake or stir constantly and toast till aromatic and somewhat colored, usually a couple or three minutes. (If subbing ground for whole spices, toast the whole spices most of the way then add the ground for the last 15 seconds or so. Do not not the thyme or ginger; the nutmeg you needn't toast.) Immediately pour the spices on a plate to cool.
Pop the cardamom seeds out of the pods, discard the pods, then grind any whole spices (plus the thyme if subbing) very well in your grinder. (If you toasted ground spices just include the whole lot in the grinder--no need to pick out the whole spices for grinding.) Remove to a bowl and stir in the ginger and nutmeg.
In Ethiopia, the primary meats are chicken and other small poultry (not turkey), lamb and goat. These are nearly always stewed with onions and berbere. Hard-boiled eggs are often added to the stewa few minutes before serving. I make these but I also use berbere as a rub, usually for lamb or goat shoulder, whole or steaked, slow-cooked, and as a rub for beef steaks. One can vary the intensity of the finish simply by using less rub or more.
*********
Baharat (bah-hrat), is the name for many spice blends one finds from Arab northeast Africa to the northwest Middle East (Syria, Jordan), the Gulf States, to non-Arab Iran. Though there are many versions across the ME, and even from vendor to vendor in the same market, many use the spices below in varying amounts. Here's my usual version:
3 T black peppercorns
2 T coriander seeds
1 cinnamon stick, about 3.5 inches, broken up, or 2 T ground
2 T cloves
3.5 T cumin seeds
1 T cardamom seeds
2 T ground nutmeg
2-4 T ground mild, med or hot chilies or a blend
Toast the whole spices as noted in the berbere recipe, adding any ground spices used plus the cardamom seed for the last 15 secs of toasting. Cool, grind and stir in the nutmeg and ground chilies.
Variations: Sometimes I do not add chilies or vary the amount and/or heat level. I occasionally add the powder of ground dried limes (2-3 T). They may be available at the market. Seed before grinding.
I use this in similar ways as I use berbere.
Lance--
Here are a couple blends...:
Berbere (bear-bear-ee), the Ethiopian blend, ubiquitous in their cuisine--and a favorite of mine--is spicy and hot. You can lessen the heat by changing the chilies if you wish.
12-15 dried African birdseye peppers, stemmed and partially seeded (sub 1 T cayenne or a mix of ground chilies, according to desired heat)
10 green cardamom pods
10 cloves
1 t cumin seeds
1 t coriander seeds
1 t fenugreek seeds
6 allspice berries
2 t black peppercorns
1 t ajowan fruits (sub 1.5 t dried thyme)
1 t ground ginger
.5 t ground nutmeg
If needing to add salt to this (necessary for some recipes) add about 2 T. As a rub, salt the meat first, apply over the salt when the meat moistens.
If using ground spices just measure out the equivalent amount (use 1 t for the whole cloves and allspice berries). Heat a small dry skillet over med heat till hot. Crack the cardamom pods and add them to the pan with the other whole spices. Shake or stir constantly and toast till aromatic and somewhat colored, usually a couple or three minutes. (If subbing ground for whole spices, toast the whole spices most of the way then add the ground for the last 15 seconds or so. Do not not the thyme or ginger; the nutmeg you needn't toast.) Immediately pour the spices on a plate to cool.
Pop the cardamom seeds out of the pods, discard the pods, then grind any whole spices (plus the thyme if subbing) very well in your grinder. (If you toasted ground spices just include the whole lot in the grinder--no need to pick out the whole spices for grinding.) Remove to a bowl and stir in the ginger and nutmeg.
In Ethiopia, the primary meats are chicken and other small poultry (not turkey), lamb and goat. These are nearly always stewed with onions and berbere. Hard-boiled eggs are often added to the stewa few minutes before serving. I make these but I also use berbere as a rub, usually for lamb or goat shoulder, whole or steaked, slow-cooked, and as a rub for beef steaks. One can vary the intensity of the finish simply by using less rub or more.
*********
Baharat (bah-hrat), is the name for many spice blends one finds from Arab northeast Africa to the northwest Middle East (Syria, Jordan), the Gulf States, to non-Arab Iran. Though there are many versions across the ME, and even from vendor to vendor in the same market, many use the spices below in varying amounts. Here's my usual version:
3 T black peppercorns
2 T coriander seeds
1 cinnamon stick, about 3.5 inches, broken up, or 2 T ground
2 T cloves
3.5 T cumin seeds
1 T cardamom seeds
2 T ground nutmeg
2-4 T ground mild, med or hot chilies or a blend
Toast the whole spices as noted in the berbere recipe, adding any ground spices used plus the cardamom seed for the last 15 secs of toasting. Cool, grind and stir in the nutmeg and ground chilies.
Variations: Sometimes I do not add chilies or vary the amount and/or heat level. I occasionally add the powder of ground dried limes (2-3 T). They may be available at the market. Seed before grinding.
I use this in similar ways as I use berbere.
Clark Deutscher
TVWBB All-Star
No problem on the recipe! If you need anything sent just shoot me off an email. It might be a little harder to send than from the US but I'm sure we can figure something out!
Clark
Clark
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Depending on where you are in the Arab world, more cardamom can be considered a sign of more wealth (comes from the days when it was considerably more expensive than coffee).
Start with a little--a pinch per T of coffee used--then scale from there to taste. I love cardamom; not everyone does.
I've been travelling. I'll see if I can get you a few other things soon.
Start with a little--a pinch per T of coffee used--then scale from there to taste. I love cardamom; not everyone does.
I've been travelling. I'll see if I can get you a few other things soon.