What is Cardamom? And why have I never heard of it?

Cardamom is a spice made from the seed pods of various plants in the ginger family.  Fairly citrus-y in taste its most used in Middle Eastern, Indian, Arabic, and Swedish dishes that are both sweet and savory.  In addition to its wonderful smell and taste, Cardamom also has many medicinal uses as well.  One of the biggest advantages is its aide in digestion.

I played with Cardamom over the holiday season leading up to the January Let’s Dish! meeting, and I was giddy when I discovered this spice.  I made breads, desserts (cookies mainly), and added it to chicken dishes. What I learned, is not all brands of spices are created equal.  While it’s harder to notice in garlic, when it came to Cardamom, you want to choose the spice jar with the larger price tag. I tried an “off brand” of the spice and found it to be almost flavorless.  I ended up with the McCormick brand and It was much better.  I think my next cardamom purchase will come from an online spice store.

One of our lovely patrons and a member of the Let’s Dish! recipe club, always has the best stories to accompany any recipe.  Likewise, she makes some of the best dishes I’ve ever tasted.  Unfortunately, she was detained and unable to make the last meeting themed “Cardamom” but she passed along a story with her recipe despite the unfortunate circumstances. 🙂

Thank you Judie Meador for inspiring yet another post for Let’s Dish!

If you love to cook and eat, I urge you to give the Let’s Dish! recipe club a try.  We meet the first Thursday of the month at 6:30 in the boardroom.  The food is excellent, and the conversation is even more delicious! Join us again on Thursday evening, February 6th as we serve dishes inspired by Dijon.

Bring a friend!

     I own the book My Two Souths, from which this recipe originally came. Asha Gomez, the author, has several restaurants in Atlanta and was a speaker at an American Library Convention where she gave out the book and autographed it.  She explained that the southern part of India was populated by Spanish and Portuguese Catholics. The cuisine and some of the surnames reflect that. This recipe is an Indian version of the Spanish Arroz con Pollo simplified.

I made half a recipe of the following using chicken breasts, and that amount is enough for 3 large servings. I always cook rice in the oven (1 part rice to 2 parts heated water or broth). So instead of standing at the stove (a no-no tonight), I followed instructions to 6, added about 1/2 c. more water and then put the mixture into the oven so the rice could finish cooking at 350 degrees (25 min.) Don’t omit the almonds that give a great crunch. The cilantro and apricot complement the dish perfectly. I opened the cardamon pods and put the seeds in the pot instead of crushing them. This has a buttery, mild, spicy Indian flavor but is not hot. It would be a great dish on a buffet table of more incendiary Indian dishes. It also would be a great introduction for those who claim not to like Indian food.  I must say I was pleasantly surprised. This is easy and economical to prepare. I hope some of you try it and enjoy it as much as I did.

Weeknight Fancy Chicken & Rice

The New York Times recently published cookbook reviews in their weekly Food section. Dishes from each book were featured. This dish is from a book with fusion dishes from the American South and Southern India. What’s not to love?

They described this dish as “a truly glorious one-pot weeknight meal.” Perfect. It was full-flavored, fast and fabulous.

This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, adapted from “My Two Souths” by Asha Gomez, contributed by Sara Bonisteel. I used ground cardamom instead of pods, chicken thighs instead of breasts, and increased the garlic. Delicious!

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

• ¼ cup ghee (or use unsalted butter, melted, browned, skimmed, and strained)
• 2 medium (or 1 large) yellow onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (or 6 green cardamom pods, crushed)
• 3 whole star anise
• 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 ½ teaspoons turmeric powder
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 2 ¼ cups chicken stock
• 1 ½ cups white Basmati rice
• ¼ cup chopped dried apricots or cranberries
• ¼ cup roasted sliced almonds (or raw almonds, toasted), hazelnuts, or pine nuts
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves

1. In a medium saucepan with a lid, melt ghee over medium-high heat.
2. Add onions, cardamom, star anise and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are soft and a very deep golden brown, about 15 minutes, lowering heat if necessary to keep from burning them.
3. Add garlic and turmeric; cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, or until very fragrant.
4. Add chicken and cook for 4 minutes, stirring to coat chicken with the onion mixture.
5. Add stock and remaining salt, increase the heat and bring to a boil.
6. Add rice, stir and cover. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the rice has absorbed liquid, about 12 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 12 minutes. Remove lid and fluff rice with a fork.
8. Transfer chicken and rice to a bowl, if desired. Remove and discard cardamom pods, if using, and star anise.
9. Garnish with apricots, almonds, and cilantro. Serve at once.