Curry Recipes Online
Curry Chat => Lets Talk Curry => Topic started by: meggeth on March 08, 2013, 08:06 PM
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Tried black cumin seeds today for the first time, after a few had said how much better they are than normal cumin seeds. All I can say is....
YEEUUUGGGHHHH! :o :o :-\ :-\
Really don't like the taste of them. Bought a whole bag of them, but have now thrown them away. Put just a small amount in the pilau rice. To me, they taste very similar to black cardomon, which I also dislike.
Isn't taste a strange thing?
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Tried black cumin seeds today for the first time, after a few had said how much better they are than normal cumin seeds. All I can say is....
YEEUUUGGGHHHH! :o :o :-\ :-\
Now you know how I feel about bananas / Brussels sprouts / turnips / pickled walnuts / ... !
** Phil.
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Tried black cumin seeds today for the first time, after a few had said how much better they are than normal cumin seeds. All I can say is....
YEEUUUGGGHHHH! :o :o :-\ :-\
Now you know how I feel about bananas / Brussels sprouts / turnips / pickled walnuts / ... !
** Phil.
But you DO like and use black cumin Phil. I much prefer the white butbthe black does have uses. Shouldn't have thrown it so promptly G. ;)
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Hi,
I use a small amount of Royal Cumin (Black Cumin) in my yellow rice.
I would myself never say they were great, just diffrent 8)
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Very odd Meggeth, what a shame you threw them. I can only assume you over cooked them or they were not right to start. They don't taste anything like black cardamon. :-\
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Tried black cumin seeds today for the first time, they taste very similar to black cardomon, which I also dislike.
Hi Meggeth
Black cummin and black cardamon have similar smokey tastes
But either of them should be used very sparingly
Just a tiny amount or they dominate and ruin dishes
Two places I know use black cummin in their pillau rice
But just a touch
If they are subtle they are very very nice
For the quantities of my home use, one pack of black cummin, will last me probably 5 years
Black cardamon goes into garam masala too
And that spice is widely used in many BIR dishes
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5 years? Not sure the quality would not suffer a tad after 5 years! ;)
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But either of them should be used very sparingly
Just a tiny amount or they dominate and ruin dishes
I agree.
Black cumin has a much stronger flavour than the more common white cumin variety and should not be used in comparable quantities. As you rightly say, black cumin should be used much more sparingly. I would use it in a 4:1 ratio (when you usually use 4 parts white cumin, use 1 part black) depending on what you're using it for.
It's a common mistake many people make in using the same quantities of each and thinking they're interchangeable which they're not.
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Really don't like the taste of them.
As others have mentioned, it does sound like you may have used them in too large a quantity - given their stronger flavour they really can over power a dish.
Were you following the guidelines in a recipe that called for that amount of black cumin, or did you simply substitute black cumin for white?
A less drastic way of introducing the stronger flavour of black cumin is to use a mix of white and black in the same recipe in a ratio of around 1:4 or 1:6 black to white.
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In pilau, I usually add half tsp of normal cumin seeds, when using the black ones I added a little less, maybe quarter to one third - so obviously too much. But I think it certainly seems to be something I don't like the taste of. I don't like the smell of them either. Think I'll stick to normal seeds in future!
Anyone want a pack of black cumin seeds, fresh out of the waste bin? :D
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Black cummin and black cardamon have similar smokey tastes
Are you sure? Mine certainly doesn't. The black cardamon I have has an almost acrid smokiness to it but not my black cumin which is more like a darker more intense cumin taste, but certainly not smoky. ???
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In pilau, I usually add half tsp of normal cumin seeds, when using the black ones I added a little less, maybe quarter to one third - so obviously too much.
As a suggestion, how about the next time you make pilau rice, use 1/4 tsp of white cumin and a small pinch, say half a dozen seeds or so of black cumin?
Personally I don't like cumin in pilau rice, I just use cassia bark, green cardamons, cloves, indian bay leaves, black peppercorns a single blade of star anise and ground saffron.
In fact I'm quite wary of cumin in ground and whole seed form as too much can easily dominate a dish, I deliberately use lower quantities of it for that reason.
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Are you sure? Mine certainly doesn't. The black cardamon I have has an almost acrid smokiness to it but not my black cumin which is more like a darker more intense cumin taste, but certainly not smoky. ???
The insides of black cardamon has more of a medicinal flavour but the outside is smokey
One place I knew interchanged the two spices, with no discernible difference to their rice
For a takeaway portion of rice I wouldn't use more than about ten black cummin seeds
Literally a pinch
It needs to be kept subtle
I can understand anybody not liking black cummin though, it is very strong
and yes, after five years most spices will be past their best
But believe me, these little devils still remain robust
I suppose that's partly due to them not being ground
I had 10 year old whole star anise and that kept fine, too
I keep my whole spices in jars and in the dark
Ground spices go off in a few months
As soon as they are ground, the clock is ticking
Talking of hating things, I once bought some black salt
That stuff has got to be smelt to be believed
It smells almost like rotten eggs
After the recipe was tried, which required it, I threw that away
Seriously never again
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I've just taste tested my black cumin and I get an almost ajwain kick then a fruityness followed by the typical cumin taste and vague smoky hint. It is a strong flavour but I guess I just like it.
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For a takeaway portion of rice I wouldn't use more than about ten black cummin seeds
I cook a cupful of rice at a time; I have never counted the cumin seeds that I add, but I would estimate that there are between one and two hundred added. I find black cumin far more subtle than white cumin.
Correction : I have just eaten about 30, and seeing how little space they occupy, I now estimate that I add between 200 and 500 to one cup of rice. Eating them raw is an interesting experience; they contain a complex mixture of flavours, none of which is particularly cumin-like, but the most interesting one of all I can only describe as "horse-like". This is nothing to do with the current equine DNA d
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Eating them raw is an interesting experience; they contain a complex mixture of flavours, none of which is particularly cumin-like, but the most interesting one of all I can only describe as "horse-like". This is nothing to do with the current equine DNA d
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;D ;D ;D ;D ;D Make me laugh and spit out my wine!
Not a Premier grand cru class
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No, I'veactually got two on the go. A nice Italian pros eco, and a very nice Portuguese Douro Reserva. Don't usually have two separate glasses, but its Saturday! ;D
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Talking of hating things, I once bought some black salt
That stuff has got to be smelt to be believed
It smells almost like rotten eggs
After the recipe was tried, which required it, I threw that away
Seriously never again
Hahaha ;D
Yeah, vegans do use black salt sometimes on their bread or toast, to substitute eggs. It's an essential part in chaats (or the chaat masala), and even some refreshing, indian beverages.
I would describe black cumin as smoky, or earthy, too. But I find it to be more subtle than the true cumin. I use them often in Samosas, and would say, that I prefer them overall. But I think that the european cumin I bought at the market here in germany, doesn't taste as good (and a little bit different) as the indian one in general. Same with coriander seeds. Could make that up, though.
Greetings!
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I cook a cupful of rice at a time; I have never counted the cumin seeds that I add, but I would estimate that there are between one and two hundred added.
** Phil.
All the times I've seen a chef cooking these, they are fried at the start of the recipe
This brings out the flavour
Are you frying them before boiling, or just boiling?
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Are you frying them before boiling, or just boiling?
Frying, Haldi : all of my pulao masala is fried in ghee for five minutes before the washed, drained and part-dried rice is added and then fried for a further two minutes, after which boiling water, salt and freeze-dried garlic flakes are added and the whole cooked for 12 minutes plus resting time.
** Phil.
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I know this is an old thread but since I'm writing directly as to this spice I won't start a new one.
After some difficulty in finding these seeds, I did manage to do so today. I have a recipe here that I've been wanting to try which calls for them . I refer back to the OP here where the poster refers to them as disgusting and something immediately came to my mind. I'm quite surprised it hasn't been suggested earlier as the problem here is well known and common.
Often Black Cumin seed (Shahi Jeera) is wrongly labelled. Actually it's visa versa. Some (ie most)advertised and packaged products are actually either Black Seed, Onion Seed, Kalonji or Nigella, which is mistakenly / incorrectly labelled and sold as Black Cumin.
If your Black Cumin does not look the same shape as normal cumin seed only smaller and darker, then you probably don't have Black Cumin. Clearly these incorrectly labelled seeds will not be interchangeable as a substitute for the real Shahi Jeera.
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Often Black Cumin seed (Shahi Jeera) is wrongly labelled. Actually it's visa versa. Some (ie most)advertised and packaged products are actually either Black Seed, Onion Seed, Kalonji or Nigella, which is mistakenly / incorrectly labelled and sold as Black Cumin.
Where do you live, Livo ? I have never encountered any instances in the UK of any of the seeds you list being mis-labelled as Black Cumin / Kala Jeera.
I /love/ the flavour of Kala Jeera, yet a single raw (white) cumin seed can destroy (for me) all the pleasure in a thousand sugar-coated fennel seeds.
** Phil.
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Australia, but a Google will show you what I'm talking about. The fountain of knowledge, wikipedia describes black seed and the correct one as both being `black cumin.
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Well, I still see no mention of "black seed" [1, 2] but I agree that the English Wikipedia does indeed mis-identify Kalonji as also being classifiable as "black cumin". Completely incorrectly, of course, but it does not directly support your hypothesis that Kalonji is /sold/ as "black cumin", although it is frequently (and equally wrongly) sold as "onion seed".
** Phil.
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[1] Black cumin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bunium bulbocastanum
Nigella sativa
Black cumin can refer to the seeds of either of two quite different plants, both of which are used as spices:
Bunium bulbocastanum, similar to caraway in shape
Nigella sativa, also called kalonji or nigella, and more common in the West
[2]Bunium persicum is a plant species in the family Apiaceae formerly included in genus Carum. It is related to cumin (Cuminum cyminum).
The closely related species Bunium bulbocastanum, which is used as a spice and as a vegetable, and commonly called great pignut,[3] black zira,[3] or earthnut,[3] was formerly considered to be a synonym of B. persicum.[4]
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Often Black Cumin seed (Shahi Jeera) is wrongly labelled. Actually it's visa versa. Some (ie most)advertised and packaged products are actually either Black Seed, Onion Seed, Kalonji or Nigella, which is mistakenly / incorrectly labelled and sold as Black Cumin.
If your Black Cumin does not look the same shape as normal cumin seed only smaller and darker, then you probably don't have Black Cumin.
I must agree with this post. 5 years ago I went thru a similar experience. I was offered many seeds as 'Black Cumin' but I knew they weren't cos my step father-in-law is Bengali (taught reasonably well by his Grandmother) and he is very proud of his cooking! Not a Chef I must add, just a bizman that's been here since the sixties, but means I've used this to my advantage and been around India a bit and know my Spices!
Black Cumin can be purchased in Tooting but when trying it in recipes (in quantities) & as whole spice it certainly is: strong, smokey, over powering & def. discusting etc... Just like many others ie. Black cardamon (again in detectable quantities). So Meggeth... I completely agree with you on aroma & flavour, but I think we are in the minority. Some of us are over sensitive & very particular - nothing wrong with that I think, but makes the whole journey of producing 'Perfect Curry' a little more gruelling. I believe people that have disagreed with the masses, developed their own recipes, have pushed BIR forward to what we have today and the future.
But Heyho, what do I know... I seem to detest 60%+ of Indian spices BUT LOVE BIR !
bedtime Zebadi...
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Often Black Cumin seed (Shahi Jeera) is wrongly labelled.
Many thanks for the warning. I had no idea that I may have been duped and mislead, when I bought and used so-called black cumin seeds, without really thinking about what they are supposed to be.
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Phil, you may well be correct. I know that wiki refers to both Bunium bulbocastanum and Nigella sativa as Black Cumin as you have pointed out. I also know that Black Seed, Onion Seed and Kalonji are often (correctly or not?) used to refer to the same thing or at least mixed up. This apparent confusion is the purpose of my post, ie; to point out that there is the possibility that the OP could have been given the wrong spice, and hence the undesirable outcome.
I have also had somebody in an Indian / Asian grocery store tell me that Caraway was the same as Black Cumin.
Gernot Katzer has this to say,
http://gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com/engl/Buni_per.html (http://gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com/engl/Buni_per.html)
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Rather appositely, I am currently in the process of replacing my spices with new stocks (which, for the first time, I am going to date-label !) and in looking at my still-sealed backup packs I notice that I have two very different seeds (different both in colour and in size) labelled as Kala Jeera / Shahi Jeera / Black Cumin. I will pop samples of each under the microscope when I open them, and try to see if they are likely to be related, but until I have opened both packs I will not be able to compare them for flavour. I will try to photograph them later. I do have (rather too much) Kaloonji, so it will be easy to compare both with it.
** Phil.
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I had photographed this packet last week but till this morning, hadn't had the time to resize and post. You will see that these seeds are similar in shape / appearence to regular Cumin. They are also slightly smaller and not too much darker but noticeably so. The other spice sold as Black Cumin is actually very black and the seeds are shaped more like Onion Seed / Kalonji etc.
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Tried black cumin seeds today for the first time, after a few had said how much better they are than normal cumin seeds. All I can say is....
YEEUUUGGGHHHH! :o :o :-\ :-\
Really don't like the taste of them. Bought a whole bag of them, but have now thrown them away. Put just a small amount in the pilau rice. To me, they taste very similar to black cardomon, which I also dislike.
Isn't taste a strange thing?
are they not the same as onion seeds ???
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There are some who think they are, but no. See my earlier posts and pictures.