Herb & Spice Companion

Job:07-61264 Title:RacePoint - Herb and Spice Companion
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Job:07-61264 Title:RacePoint - Herb and Spice Companion

Dtp:VIVIAN Page:163

61264 - Herb and Spice Companion_146-256.indd 163 3/7/15 5:30 pm

(Text)

COMMON KITCHEN SPICES

• 163 –

Plant: Seeds, cuttings, or rhizome divisions. Cuttings

and rhizomes are preferred, as seeds are difficult to

germinate.

Water: Regularly, to keep the soil consistently moist.

Mist with water from a spray bottle to simulate the

humidity in the tropics.

Harvest: Snip leaves when needed. After 3 or 4 years,

snip off unripe, green seedpods—if left on the plant

too long, they’ll ripen and break open, spilling out the

seeds. Pods are sun-dried (or “cured”) for several days,

or dried in heated sheds.

Care: Since plants rarely seed in nontropical conditions,

to propagate, dig up the rhizome, divide, and replant.

In the Kitchen

Dishes: Stews, curries, rice, breads,

cakes, desserts, ice creams, coffee, teas

Prep: Use whole seedpods for flavor

and remove before serving, or grind the

seeds. Seedpods should be bruised to

release the aromatic oils; just split open

the shell with a pestle or the back of a

spoon, then cook and discard. Or, grind

seeds to a powder: Use a mortar and

pestle rather than a spice grinder, which

doesn’t handle the oily seeds as well.

Simply break the seedpod, discard the

shell, and grind the seeds. Ground car-

damom is potent, so use sparingly.

Serve: Green cardamom flavors both

sweet and savory dishes, everything from

pastries, puddings, and cooked fruit to

braised meats (kormas) and curries.

SUBSTITUTIONS

• Cinnamon + nutmeg


• Nutmeg + cloves

Ginger

Note: There’s no

close flavor match for

cardamom, so these

substitutes will not

replicate the real thing.

PAIRINGS

Fruits and Vegetables:

apples, oranges, pears, sweet

potatoes, tomatoes

Proteins: almonds, cashews,

eggs, lentils, pistachios, walnuts

Seasonings: allspice, anise,

Indian bay leaf, caraway, chili

peppers, cinnamon, cloves,

coriander seeds, cumin, fennel

seeds, ginger, lemon juice,

nutmeg, paprika, pepper, rose

water, saffron, star anise,

turmeric, vanilla

Job:07-61264 Title:RacePoint - Herb and Spice Companion
Dtp:VIVIAN Page:162

Job:07-61264 Title:RacePoint - Herb and Spice Companion

Dtp:VIVIAN Page:163

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