"bruised" cardamom pods?

kidsan · Aug 31st, 2007, 15:07

i just bite them! not too hard now...

Prashant.M · Aug 31st, 2007, 15:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick-H

Me to Mrs N... Do you bruise cardamom pods?

Mrs N... What?

Me... Cardamon Pods; do you bruise them?

Mrs N... grunts and gets back into checking the state of the stock market today.

hemarprasad · Aug 31st, 2007, 18:42

much delayed response i think...

we use cardamoms whole in some dishes...(things like pulav, masala chai et al) and we use ground seeds in others (usually desserts like payasams or kheer). since we use a hand-held crusher (made of marble or stone or brass), the ground seeds dont turn in to a very fine power. they remain sort of coarse and therefore don't give out an overwhelming amount of flavour.

i am not much of a cook and don't know much about bruising vs. crushing vs. using whole, but these is how i've seen my mom and grandmom do it

Quote:

Originally Posted by janice

i consulted a few more indian cookbooks in the bookstore this evening. (unfortunately, i also came home with a stack of books completely unrelated to indian cooking.)

'twas a book binge that began quite innocently enough...but enough about "the bookseller of kabul" and "maximum city", et al.

i looked through four different books and most recipes called simply for whole, unopened pods. in other instances, ground cardamom (which is the ground seeds), are used. i'll stick to whole pods, unbruised, unless the seeds are called for.

tacita · Aug 31st, 2007, 18:51

thanks, everyone, for all these replies!

re: white v. green, indian v. guatamalan: the pods i use are pale green, from a large indian grocery store in "little india" in new york. the packaging says they are from india.

and it seemed so humble a little pod!

machadinha · Sep 1st, 2007, 15:33

Hm. Am I repeating or contradicting other posts here?

Must say I'm rather blown away (as I am fascinated) stumbling over this thread. I bang my cardamom pods with the back of a knife or something, then grind the seeds that you pick out in a pestle with whatever else goes in today's spicy herbal fried dish starting mixture aka curry paste.

Never occurred to me to use the pods whole, bruised or otherwise

It's an idea actually, as confirmed by some of the above posts. Maybe I misread the "bruised" for all those years

--> Diligently flicking through dictionary & anxiously looking up cookbooks

Mehndi Masala · Sep 1st, 2007, 16:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by machadinha

I bang my cardamom pods with the back of a knife or something, then grind the seeds that you pick out in a pestle with whatever else goes in today's spicy herbal fried dish starting mixture aka curry paste.

In my an my sister's house, a pestle and morter are essentials. Cardamom is either in the pod, and bashed to smithereens and then tossed (pulverized pod and seeds) into the chai to boil or with the noodles and milk. Sometimes a coffee grinder is used to toss in a bunch of spices and ground up and put into a small airtight container. This will be used up in about a week or sooner. I do like the little baggie idea! Powdered cardamom is kinda icky. Tried to make chai with that once...thought I was being so bright! LOL not good....even tasted kinda 'stale'.

Kim

dhans · Sep 1st, 2007, 17:14

To quote jamie: We whack the pods once, then throw them in the wok.

We don't care about the black seeds and pick out the pods before serving (if we can find them) or we warn our guests.

Hans

machadinha · Sep 1st, 2007, 18:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhans

To quote jamie: We whack the pods once, then throw them in the wok.

Nick-H · Sep 2nd, 2007, 01:59

My first experiences with spiced tea consisted of a couple of pods in the teapot with a bit of fresh ginger.

Aug 31st, 2007, 18:51	#34
tacita Maha Mutant Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Gotham Posts: 1,410	thanks, everyone, for all these replies! re: white v. green, indian v. guatamalan: the pods i use are pale green, from a large indian grocery store in "little india" in new york. the packaging says they are from india. and it seemed so humble a little pod! __________________ Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. ~Helen Keller

Sep 1st, 2007, 15:33	#35
machadinha Not Your Guru Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp Posts: 10,149	Hm. Am I repeating or contradicting other posts here? Must say I'm rather blown away (as I am fascinated) stumbling over this thread. I bang my cardamom pods with the back of a knife or something, then grind the seeds that you pick out in a pestle with whatever else goes in today's spicy herbal fried dish starting mixture aka curry paste. Never occurred to me to use the pods whole, bruised or otherwise It's an idea actually, as confirmed by some of the above posts. Maybe I misread the "bruised" for all those years --> Diligently flicking through dictionary & anxiously looking up cookbooks __________________ Reading tips, all picked up at IndiaMike : INDAX's A Comprehensive Guide To India / Dinoj Surendran's Desi Humor / ITHVC on Culture Shock & Travel Health / JetLag Travel Guides For the Undiscerning Traveller / India Travel Links

Sep 1st, 2007, 17:14	#37
dhans Uru Buru member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 1,440	To quote jamie: We whack the pods once, then throw them in the wok. We don't care about the black seeds and pick out the pods before serving (if we can find them) or we warn our guests. Hans __________________ Tips for trips to India with (young) children: India with kids Stories about our travels in India: Journal

Sep 2nd, 2007, 01:59	#39
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 25,832	My first experiences with spiced tea consisted of a couple of pods in the teapot with a bit of fresh ginger. __________________ . Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

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Aug 31st, 2007, 15:07	#31
kidsan Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: heading for Mauritania... Posts: 673	i just bite them! not too hard now...

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