Dealing with black cardamom (kala elachi)

[Peripatetic Phil]

OK, here's what I did.  Cut two black cardamom in half, to find that just like green cardamom there are little seeds inside, and of course it is the seeds and not the husk that contribute most of the flavour.  Heated 8 tablespoons of 5:3 oil, and fried the cut-in-half cardamom for a bit (inc. seeds, of course).  Poured in 1/2 pint of chicken stock with ginger and brought to the boil.  Added 1/2 pint of KD1 base, brought to the boil, then turned off.  The cardamom will now steep in there until I am ready to make tonight's curry, which will probably be at about 21:50 after collecting Khanh from the station.  Should be ready just in time for the Chinese historical drama Di Renjie on CCTV-4 at 22:10 

** Phil.

P.S. Ray : you've mentioned liking a little sweetness in your curries in the past; have you tried adding Amchoor ?

[Razor]

like you say just doubling up doesnt always work!!

Hahaha, undone by one of my own sayings lol ;D

Ray ;D

[Razor]

Hi Phil,

P.S. Ray : you've mentioned liking a little sweetness in your curries in the past; have you tried adding Amchoor ?

I do have a bag of amchoor in my cupboard but have never used it.  I was always under the impression that mango powder was used to add a little 'sourness' to a dish?

Well, ya live an learn.

Ray

[Peripatetic Phil]

I do have a bag of amchoor in my cupboard but have never used it.  I was always under the impression that mango powder was used to add a little 'sourness' to a dish?

Well, ya live an learn.

You may well be right : on looking at the web, "adding sourness" just about sums it up, yet when I first used it I was convinced it made the dish sweeter.  Ah well, I shall have to try some again tomorrow : I've already meddled with two independent variables (chicken+ginger stock, kala elachi) and if I meddle with a third (amchoor) I will have no idea which is responsible for which element(s) of the taste ...

Update : not a success.  Adding 50% chicken+ginger stock made no significant improvement to the flavour and ruined the texture -- the resulting sauce was too thin, and thus the chicken overcooked while the stock was reducing.  Le Khanh didn't like the black cardamom (she doesn't even like green cardamom, so there was little hope of her liking the black), and while the amchoor added a certain sourness which was "interesting", the curry was definitely not one of my best.  Ah well, back to KD1 base + KD1/PT Madras !

[Stephen Lindsay]

Hi Stephen it was myself who blended the cinnamon stick in once cooked - was lovely

Garry

I knew it was one of the regulars but couldn't remember who - cheers gazman!

Steve

[Masala Mark]

Hi Folks,

A couple of weekends ago I spent a Saturday morning in a IR here in Brisbane with the Chef/Owner watching him make is base gravy.

He used 12kg dried onions, which would probably equate to 24+kg fresh onions. After cooking the onions and then adding spice powders and tomato paste after 3 hours cooking, he then blended to his desired consistency, and then added whole spices, which he then left for another hour cooking.

He leaves the whole spices in the base, but removes before they go out to the customer.

Now for that amount of onions, he added only 4-5 black cardamoms, a couple of cinamon sticks and 3-4 star anise.

So I would say be wary of just multiplying out whole spices. From another chef I know very well who works at a Hare Krishna restaurant here, it just doesn't work that way.

Cheers,
Mark

[Spottymaldoon]

I notice Stephen mentioning that cinnamon, green cardamom are 'perfumy' and I had categorized spices in a similar way myself - I called those plus cloves, star anise etc "sweet" or "fragrant" and their 'counterparts': black cardamom, Jeera, Methi, black pepper, mustard seed as "dark" spices. Sort of yin and yang. I have noticed BIR curries as fragrant or dark too - New Asia restaurant in Earls Court (circa 1960 ha ha!) did a really 'dark' lamb curry which was absolutely delicious. The restaurant was pretty dark too, but I never had a tummy upset from there. Actually, come to think of it I never yet had a tummy upset from an Indian restaurant anywhere - and I have eaten some pretty grim curries.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Come to think of it I never yet had a tummy upset from an Indian restaurant anywhere - and I have eaten some pretty grim curries.

Ah, I know of a certain Indian restaurant on the outskirts of Paris where you may succeed in breaking your record    (Details removed in deference to the sensibilities of other forum members).

** Phil.

[Spottymaldoon]

<sup>the poor bird that we ate there had been festering in their kitchen, but there was no way that even Tandoori spicing could disguise the taste and smell of putrefaction ![/sub]

What a talent you have for whetting the appetite ... pity I just ate me dinner.</sup>

[Peripatetic Phil]

What a talent you have for whetting the appetite ... pity I just ate me dinner.

Sorry, Spotty : hope your dinner was well and truly digested before my message arrived 
** Phil.