In what dishes cardamom is added

This spice has been known since ancient times. It is used in large quantities in the cuisines of India and many Asian countries. In Europe and Russia cardamom is mainly used in the preparation of sweet baked goods and desserts. But it is also one of the important ingredients in spice mixtures used in the preparation of pickled vegetables and fish.

Cardamom has gained its popularity because of its strong, elegant smell, spicy-sweet flavor, and health benefits. It normalizes metabolic processes in the body, helps with stress and depression, fights apathy, is used in the treatment of headaches.

But in the use of this spice has its secrets and tricks. In order for it to have time to reveal all the aroma and flavor, it needs heat treatment for a long time. Therefore, in baked goods, coffee and some dishes, it is put at the beginning of cooking. If you only need to emphasize the flavor a little, add the spice just a couple of minutes before the end of cooking.

What is cardamom

It is an herbaceous plant that belongs to the ginger family. The main region of growth is considered India, Sri Lanka. The fruit used is in the form of pods, inside which there are fragrant seeds. The pods are covered with a thin but tough skin, which is not edible. The pods resemble the seeds of citrus plants. The source of the bright, sweet aroma with citrus notes is inside the pod. It is a small round seed. They are added as a whole or crushed beforehand. The thin skin of the pod allows for a long preservation of flavor, so it is recommended to buy the capsules rather than the ground cardamom powder.

This spice is commonly referred to as a sweet, but it may seem that its aroma and flavor are not as pleasant as cinnamon, cloves or vanilla. It has a strong floral aroma with citrus notes. Aromas of essential oils are also present. One of the clear advantages of cardamom is its ability to retain a persistent, pleasant scent after prolonged cooking. Unlike many other spices, it only reveals itself more strongly when cooked for a long time. But care should be taken with its dosage. Excessive addition of cardamom to a dish spoils the flavor, and bitterness and an unpleasant medicinal smell may appear. It is allowed to add a little more of this spice to baked goods than when cooking meat and fish dishes.

Cardamom can be green and black. Each kind has its own differences in flavor and aroma, so they are used for the preparation of different dishes.

Types of cardamom

Green

Among the two species, it is the most widespread and widely used. It is the one that is added in the preparation of sweet dishes and drinks, coffee, cocktails, punches. It can also be part of the spice mixture for making curries, marinades, sauces.

It is a small greenish pod with a thin, almost transparent skin. The seeds are medium-sized and brown or slightly blackish. Sometimes green cardamom can be sold as white. The name may be given to pods that have been in storage for a long time, so the skin and seeds have lost their pigmentation. Such fruits have almost no aroma or flavor.

Green has a more refined taste and aroma. It also contains much more nutrients than black.

It grows mainly only in India. It is rarely seen outside the state.

Black

Its pod is large, thick with a coarse black-brown skin with black seeds. The flavor is slightly less intense, has a slightly smoky and smoky notes. This is why black cardamom is mostly used for unsweetened meals, pilaf, meat and fish. It is almost uncommon outside of India and the Middle East.

This type of cardamom can be found in Africa and Vietnam, in addition to India. To develop its full flavor, it needs a long heat treatment, so it is used primarily in dishes that involve a slow and long process of stewing over low heat.

Outside of the countries of Asia black cardamom is almost impossible to find on sale, only in specialized markets. The green cardamom is still very common in European countries.

The benefits of cardamom

The benefits of cardamom for the body have been noticed for a very long time. This spice is an integral part of the ancient Indian science of life Ayurveda. This is due to the unique chemical composition of cardamom. It is not only B vitamins, but also essential oils, flavonoids, trace elements such as zinc, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, sodium.

Adding cardamom to your food allows you to regulate the amount of salt and sugar because the spice enhances the flavors. It reduces cravings for sweets and desserts. Cardamom improves the secretion of gastric juice and helps the digestive process. After a big meal with a heavy stomach, it is recommended to drink tea with cardamom to get rid of unpleasant feelings.

B vitamins and magnesium help regulate the nervous system. The smell of cardamom can easily cheer you up, improve your mood, and help take your mind off heavy thoughts. It has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system, normalizes blood pressure, improves the condition of the walls of the blood vessels, can get rid of headaches.

Essential oils in the composition have antiseptic and antibacterial effect, so chewing cardamom seeds has a favorable effect on the state of the mouth and teeth, small injuries are healed, breath is freshened. Also the seeds are used to gargle the throat for colds, it is enough to prepare a decoction on their basis. The use of cardamom has a beneficial effect on blood circulation in the lungs, helps to get rid of sputum accumulated in the lungs and bronchi.

The taste and aroma of cardamom seeds can reduce nausea. Therefore, it is sometimes recommended to pregnant women for toxicosis, but only with the permission of the attending physician, as this spice has its own limitations on its use.

Cardamom is able to fight bacteria and pathogenic microflora not only for colds, but also for inflammatory processes in the intestines, the genitourinary system.

The substances contained in cardamom remove toxins and free radicals from the body. The spice is one of the best antioxidants. Cardamom helps to prevent cancer of reproductive organs, breast cancer. And iron, copper and vitamins help fight anemia, relieve fatigue and weakness.

Also in traditional folk medicine, cardamom is considered one of the strongest aphrodisiacs. It increases the sexual desire of partners, has a positive effect on men's health.

Cardamom found its application in cosmetology. Its antiseptic properties help to combat rashes and other negative skin manifestations. It acts like a tonic that cleanses the surface from bacteria and other harmful microorganisms. Cardamom also improves tone, helping to combat the first signs of age.

How to choose the right cardamom

To get all the useful properties of this unique product, as well as to add a pleasant taste and aroma to dishes, you need to choose cardamom correctly when buying.

1. The first thing to remember is that the spice that is sold in pods always has the advantage. The seeds that have been cleaned, much less ground, quickly lose essential oils, so the spice becomes less fragrant, tasty and useful.
2. When buying a packaged product, make sure that the bag with the spice is sealed. The material prevents not only moisture, but also foreign odors from getting inside. Unfortunately, the buyer can check the quality of the product inside the package only at home, so in this matter you have to trust the manufacturer. It is worth giving preference to already proven brands.
3. Still, it is recommended to buy cardamom at the market, where you can carefully inspect, study, taste it. When buying spices in boxes, you should pay attention to the appearance and color of the pod. It should be uniform, light green, without dark inclusions, stripes and damages. You should choose pods with unbroken skin. Essential oils volatilize quickly through them, which negatively affects the quality of the product. Also, the pods should not be too pale and excessively dry. This indicates that the product has been stored for a long time and has already lost some of its positive taste and medicinal properties. A fresh and quality product has a pleasant fragrance even from the box. If it is absent, then the shelf life of the product has long expired. Inside the seeds have already lost their taste and smell, too.
4. When pressed, the pod should open easily. After splitting, the smell usually intensifies many times. This indicates the freshness and quality of the product.

You can also buy cardamom seeds or powder. In this case, be sure to pay attention to the aroma. If it is almost absent, the purchase should be abandoned. The spice has long lost its useful properties and culinary significance. Seeds that do not have a pronounced sweet-tart flavor with floral or citrus notes will not smell stronger when crushed. They will turn out a completely unusable product, the addition of which will not add bright accents and colors to the dish.

It is recommended to store cardamom in an airtight container with a tightly closed lid at room temperature for no more than 2-3 months. After this period, the spice, of course, will be quite fit for use, but already less fragrant and tasty.

What dishes you can put cardamom in

Contrary to expectations, cardamom has a fairly wide range of uses in cooking. In addition to the usual use in baked goods and desserts, this spice is part of the spice mix for marinating vegetables, fish, for the preparation of pates and sausages.

It should be noted that in European and Russian tradition cardamom is preferred to be added to desserts, sweet pastries and porridges. Although in some European countries it is actively used in the preparation of vegetable dishes or soups based on legumes (peas, beans, beans, lentils). It makes these dishes much more flavorful and interesting to the taste.

In the Middle East and India, cardamom is added to many unsweetened dishes. Of course, for the most part, it is always part of a mixture of seasonings and is not used separately from the rest. For example, it is a must-have ingredient in aromatic curries. Also in India, beverages are often made with the addition of cardamom. These drinks can be made with cardamom, not only tea or coffee.

In the Middle East, coffee with cardamom is very common. It is grinded with the beans and drunk before meals to prepare the digestive system for meals and to invigorate, and after meals to stimulate the gastrointestinal tract. The recipe for coffee with cardamom is quite simple and does not require much knowledge or effort. It can be prepared at home, using a turkey baster.

Recipes for dishes and drinks with cardamom

Coffee with Cardamom

It is better to use cardamom pods or seeds, which should be ground together with the coffee beans just before brewing. It is enough to take only 3-4 grains to get a fragrant drink. The powder is poured into a turkey, at the rate of 1-2 tsp. per cup. Pour cold boiled water and put on the stove. You can immediately add a spoonful of sugar, if the drink should be sweet. As soon as the foam begins to rise, take the pot off the stove, stir it, and then put it back on the stove. As soon as the foam rises for the second time, you can finish the cooking process. To do this, remove the drink from the stove, add 1 tbsp. of cold boiled water to the pot, let the drink steep for a while and pour into cups.

Cardamom neutralizes the effect of caffeine, so the drink becomes milder and does not cause much damage to the cardiovascular system.

For those who don't drink coffee, you can try cardamom tonic tea.

Tea with cardamom

To do this, grind a couple of seeds from the pod, add to water and boil everything together, so that the flavor of the spice is more revealed. Prepared decoction brew a tea bag or dilute a fresh brew. You can enjoy a fragrant drink. The amount of spice is better to adjust according to your own taste.

If you want to cook a spicy flavored dish for lunch, which will diversify the diet, it is worth stopping at a simple recipe for rice with chicken, ginger and cardamom.

Spicy Rice with Chicken

Ingredients:

• 0.5 kg of chicken meat;
• 250 g long-grain rice;
• 1 onion;
• 1 carrot;
• 1 head of garlic;
• 6 cardamom pods;
• 2 Tbsp. grated ginger;
• vegetable oil;
• salt, sugar to taste.

Preparation:

1. Peel and chop onions and carrots. Peel the garlic.
2. Heat a frying pan with oil on the stove. First, fry the garlic and ginger until they give aroma. There is no need to cook them until they are completely cooked. Add onions and carrots. Fry until the onions are golden.
3. Cut the chicken meat into small pieces. Add to the pan with the vegetables, throw in cardamom pods and mix well. Let it fry a bit.
4. Rinse rice in cold water until it becomes clear. Pour on top of the vegetables and meat, do not mix. Add salt, sugar, pour hot water. Make sure the water is 1 cm above the rice. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes.
5. When ready, stir together all ingredients before serving.

Bagels with Bran and Cardamom

The use of cardamom in sweet dishes, pastries and desserts is more familiar to European people. For example, cardamom is used extensively in Scandinavian baked goods. No one will be left indifferent to the fragrant pastry.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs;
• 80 g of butter;
• 180 ml of heavy 20% cream;
• 0.5 tbsp. sugar;
• 3 tbsp of extra virgin baking flour;
• 2 Tbsp. bran;
• 12 cardamom pods;
• 1 packet of dry yeast;
• 1 tsp. salt.

Preparation:

1. First, activate the yeast by pouring it with a little warm water. You can add a little sugar to make it rise better. Leave it in the warmth until it forms a foamy cap.
2. In the meantime, melt the butter and let it cool slightly. Dry roast the cardamom pods in a dry pan for a couple of minutes, stirring. Remove the tough skin and use the seeds, which should be thoroughly grinded or ground in a coffee grinder.
3. Sift most of the flour into a bowl, add salt. Here, also stir in the bran and cardamom. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. Heat cream slightly, add to egg mixture and beat again. Pour in the melted butter and stir. Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl with the dry products. Knead the dough. Add the remaining flour gradually. You may need less or more flour. Once the dough is homogeneous, you can continue to knead it on the table.
4. Dust the table well with flour, so that the dough does not stick. Knead until the dough no longer sticks to your hands. Then transfer it to a bowl, cover tightly with clingfilm and leave to proof in a warm place for 1.5-2 hours.
5. When the dough is ready, crumple it, lay it on a lightly floured table and divide it into equal portions. Roll out each piece into a 10 cm long roll, joining the ends to form a ring.
6. Prepare a baking tray. You can grease it with butter or use baking paper. Place the bagels, leaving 3 to 5 cm between them. Cover with clingfilm and allow to proof for another 30-40 minutes.
7. Bake in a preheated 180 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until golden crust.

Where you should not add

There are no strict prohibitions and restrictions in this matter. It all depends on taste and preferences. If a person does not like too spicy and fragrant unsweetened dishes, in this case it is better to refrain from adding cardamom to meat, fish and vegetable dishes. It is better to stick to the classic use only in baked goods and desserts. And you can experiment, adding a little of this spice to the usual vegetable soups, stews and try new flavors.

It is worth remembering that in some cases cardamom is added predominantly together with other spices rather than separately. For example, cardamom in its pure form is not added to fish dishes. In this case, you will get disharmony of taste. The spice is part of a mixture of aromatic spices and only slightly tinges the taste of other spices. While in some meat dishes it is allowed to dominate cardamom over other spices.

In any case, it is necessary to observe the proportion of adding this product. Excessive excess will lead to an unpleasant perfumed aroma in the dish, which will spoil the taste. So, for cooking soups and sauces, no more than 0.3 g per 1 liter of liquid is used. In meat, the spice is added at the rate of 0.2-0.5 g per 1 kg of product. Here it all depends on the recipe and taste. The largest permissible amount is implied in the preparation of baked goods and desserts. In this case, cardamom should not exceed 0.5 g per 1 kg of dough.

Still, it is worth experimenting with combinations of spices and products to choose the best option that will meet the tastes and preferences.

Precautions when using cardamom

There are limitations and contraindications to the use of this spice. As cardamom stimulates the secretion of gastric juice, it is contraindicated for people suffering from gastritis, peptic ulcer, inflammatory bowel syndrome. This is a strong spice, the effect of which in this case will adversely affect the digestive system organs and can aggravate the condition, causing a worsening of diseases.

Also, those who suffer from allergies, especially food allergies, should be cautious about cardamom. In this case, you should first check whether there is no negative reaction of the body to the spice before adding it to a dish or drink.

Pregnant women and nursing mothers are also not recommended to introduce cardamom into the diet. But sometimes it is possible with the permission of the doctor, as in some cases it can help, for example, to relieve the negative manifestations of toxicosis.

Even if there are no contraindications, you should not abuse the addition of this spice in all dishes and drinks in a row. The use of cardamom in large quantities can begin to adversely affect your well-being and health. And not following the dosage when adding it to a dish will simply ruin the taste and will not give pleasure.