Transcript of This Video
This plant right here, these two plants, are cardamom.
It's an herb that's used in curry- different types of curry. Thai curry, Indian curry, curry from all over the world. And these plants die down in the winter and they come up in the spring, and by the end of summer these will be this tall and they'll shoot out a long stalk with the most beautiful, exotic red flowers that turn into these big seed pods. And inside of that is the cardamom seed that is used in the curry. It's very delicious. You can also use cardamom in tea, in chai tea with black pepper and a mixture of many different herbs.
Uses for Cardamom
from Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia
All the different cardamom species and varieties are used mainly as cooking spices and as medicines. In general:
Elettaria cardamomum (the usual type of cardamom) is used as a spice, a masticatory, and in medicine; it is also sometimes smoked; it is used as a food plant by the larva of the moth Endoclita hosei.
Amomum is used as an ingredient in traditional systems of medicine in China, India, Korea, and Vietnam.
Can be used as a traditional flavouring to Turkish coffee.
Uses in cuisines around the world
Cardamom has a strong, unique taste, with an intensely aromatic fragrance. It is a common ingredient in Indian cooking, and is often used in baking in Scandinavia. One of the most expensive spices by weight, little is needed to impart the flavour. Cardamom is best stored in pod form, because once the seeds are exposed or ground, they quickly lose their flavour. However, high-quality ground cardamom is often more readily (and cheaply) available, and is an acceptable substitute. For recipes requiring whole cardamom pods, a generally accepted equivalent is 10 pods equals 1½ teaspoons of ground cardamom.
In traditional medicine, in India, green cardamom (A. subulatum), or "elaichi," is broadly used to treat infections in teeth and gums, to prevent and treat throat troubles, congestion of the lungs and pulmonary tuberculosis, inflammation of eyelids and also digestive disorders. It is also reportedly used as an antidote for both snake and scorpion venom.
Species in the genus Amomum are also used in traditional Indian medicine. Among other species, varieties and cultivars, Amomum villosum is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat stomach-aches, constipation, dysentery, and other digestion problems. "Tsaoko" cardamom is cultivated in Yunnan, China, both for medicinal purposes and as a spice.
-------------
CARDAMOM-BUTTER COOKIES RECIPE
1/2 lb. soft butter
Cream well.
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
Sift together.
1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
1/2 c. cornstarch
Add to above ingredients. Cream well.
Divide into 2 equal portions; wrap each in foil. Store in refrigerator at least 8 hour but no longer than overnight.
Remove one portion from refrigerator; shape into balls about size of large marble. Place balls on ungreased cookie sheets 2 inches apart; flatten with floured tines of fork or floured cookie molds. Bake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes until delicately browned.
More Cardamom Cookies Recipes at Cooks.com
-------------