12 Recipes Using Green Cardamom Pods

INGREDIENTS

• • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 6 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 4cm/1½in piece of fresh ginger, crushed
  • 2 hot green chillies, seeds removed, finely chopped
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • 450ml/14fl oz can coconut milk
  • 4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
  • 4 cloves
  • 5-6 curry leaves (available from Asian grocers)
  • 2cm/¾in piece cinnamon stick
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
  • 500g/1lb 2oz tiger prawns, cleaned and de-veined, shells removed but tail intact

METHOD

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan with a lid. Add the onion and cook until translucent.
2. Add the garlic, ginger and green chillies and cook for two minutes, taking care not to let them brown.
3. Add the turmeric and cook for a few seconds, then pour in the coconut milk. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring right from the bottom of the mixture.
4. Season with salt, then add the cardamom, cloves, curry leaves and cinnamon. Simmer for a couple of minutes, until the mixture has thickened slightly, then add the coriander and cook for another minute or two.
5. Add the prawns and cook for 2-4 minutes, depending on their size. Cover the pan, remove from the heat and set aside for about five minutes. The prawns will continue to cook in the residual heat of the curry (more cooking on the stove will spoil the prawns by overcooking).
6. Serve with steamed jasmine rice and a fresh onion salad.

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken stew

• 3 tbsp coconut oil or sunflower oil
• 5cm/2in cinnamon stick
• 6 cloves
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 5cm/2in piece fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into small matchsticks
• 2 red onions, thinly sliced
• 8 green chillies, slit lengthways
• 15 curry leaves
• 1kg–1.3kg/2lb 4oz–2lb 14oz chicken, jointed into 8 pieces, or 8 chicken pieces, skin removed
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
• 590ml/19fl oz coconut milk
• 5 tbsp toddy (palm) vinegar (or sherry vinegar or sweet white wine vinegar), to serve
• 1 tsp ground garam masala, to serve

For the sweet and sour rice

• 240g/8½oz basmati rice, rinsed under running water
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 star anise
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 10 curry leaves
• 1½ tsp salt
• 1½ tsp caster sugar
• 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 160ml/5½fl oz coconut milk

METHOD

1. For the chicken stew, heat the oil in a large, lidded frying pan or sauté pan. Add the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom, followed by the garlic, ginger, onions, chillies and curry leaves. Cook over medium heat until the onions are soft.
2. Add the chicken, salt and pepper and stir for a minute. Pour in the coconut milk and 125ml/4fl oz water. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, soak the rice in cold water for 20 minutes, then drain well. Heat the oil in a large, lidded saucepan. Add the star anise, cardamom and bay and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the onion, curry leaves, salt and sugar and cook until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the vinegar, coconut milk, 300ml/10fl oz water and then the rice. Mix well, then simmer, stirring, for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 7–8 minutes. All the liquid should be absorbed.
4. Take off the heat and stir. Cover with the lid again and set aside for 10 minutes to let the rice finish cooking in its steam.
5. To serve, add the vinegar to the stew, sprinkle over the garam masala and mix well. Remove from the heat and serve with the sweet and sour rice.

INGREDIENTS

• • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 tbsp garam masala
  • 3 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
  • 1 vegetable stock cube
  • 300g/10½oz mixed frozen chopped vegetables
  • 300g/10½oz basmati rice
  • 50g/1¾oz flaked almonds
  • large handful fresh coriander
  • ½ lemon, juice only

METHOD

1. Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large, heavy bottomed, lidded saucepan. Fry the onions with the salt for 10 minutes, or until soft and just starting to brown.
2. Add the garlic and fry for 1 minute, until aromatic. Add the cumin, ground coriander, garam masala and cardamom pods. Fry again for another minute and crumble in the stock cube.
3. Add the vegetables and rice, and stir until everything is well coated in the onion spice mixture.
4. Add 600ml/1 pint of water and turn up the heat to bring the rice to the boil. Put on the lid and reduce the heat as low as it will go, then allow to steam for 15 minutes.
5. Remove the pan from the heat, and allow the rice to rest, lid on, for a further 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, toast the almonds over a medium heat in a small frying pan until golden, and roughly chop the coriander.
7. Remove the lid from the rice, and pick out the cardamom husks that should have worked their way to the top. Fluff up the rice with a fork, and stir in the flaked almonds, chopped coriander and the lemon juice before serving.

RECIPES TIPS

Making the perfect biryani is dependent on a number of factors, especially how much control you have over your heat source (if you are cooking on a gas or electric hob, for example), how heavy the bottom of your pan is and how tight a fit the lid is. If your biryani is slightly undercooked, return it to the heat with a splash more water until it is all absorbed. If it is slightly sticky, reduce the quantity of water by 25ml next time you make it.

INGREDIENTS

• 500g/1lb 2oz skinless chicken breast fillets, cut into 4cm/1½in chunks
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 6 cardamom pods
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 tsp garlic paste
• 2 tsp ginger paste
• 400ml can coconut milk
• 2 heaped tbsp plain yoghurt
• 12 dried no-soak pitted prunes
• 25g/1oz cashew nuts
• 3 green chillies, finely chopped
• 2 tsp cornflour, mixed with 1 tbsp cold water
• 1½ tsp flaked sea salt
• ½ lime, juice only
• 25g/1oz ground almonds, to garnish
• large handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped, to garnish

METHOD

1. Put the chicken pieces in a bowl and add the chilli flakes, turmeric, coriander and cumin. Stir well and leave to marinate for 5–10 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or shallow casserole and gently fry the cumin seeds, cinnamon stick and cardamom for a few seconds before adding the onions. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the onion is softened and pale golden-brown, stirring regularly.
3. Add the spiced chicken pieces and cook for 4–5 minutes, or until lightly coloured on all sides, stirring regularly. Add the ginger and garlic pastes and cook for another minute. Pour over the coconut milk and add the yoghurt. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

INGREDIENTS

• • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 salad onion, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds
  • ½ tsp mild curry powder
  • 2 green cardamom pods
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 100g/3½oz canned lentils, rinsed and drained
  • 50ml/2fl oz hot vegetable stock
  • 50ml/2fl oz double cream
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 hot ready-made chapatis

METHOD

1. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and fry for two minutes, until soft.
2. Add the spices and cook through for two more minutes.
3. Add the tomato purée, lentils, and vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to simmer for five minutes.
4. Add the cream and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5. To serve, pour the lentil curry into a warm bowl with the warm chapattis served on a plate alongside.

INGREDIENTS

For the spinach paste

• 225g/8oz baby spinach leaves, washed
• 45g/1¾oz fresh coriander, leaves and stalks
• 6 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 5cm/2in piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 6 tbsp roasted and salted peanuts
• 2-3 tbsp lemon juice, or to taste
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1-3 green chillies, seeds removed, roughly chopped (optional)

For the tandoori mushrooms

• 75ml/2½fl oz Greek-style yoghurt
• 1 tsp each garam masala, ground cumin, ground fennel seeds and green cardamom powder
• 2 tsp crushed garlic
• 1 rounded tsp grated ginger
• 2 tsp gram flour
• salt, to taste
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• ¼-½ tsp red chilli powder, or to taste
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp water
• 200g/7oz Portobello mushrooms, cleaned, boiled for 15 minutes, cooled and thickly sliced

For the paneer

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 100ml/3½fl oz water
• 300-350g/10-12oz paneer, cut into 2.5cm/1in cubes
• ½ small onion, thinly sliced

To serve

• • 5 ready-made flour tortillas, wrapped in foil and placed in the oven for the last five minutes of cooking
  • You’ll need 5-6 wooden skewers, soaked in water for half an hour

METHOD

1. For the spinach paste, place all the spinach paste ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
2. For the tandoori mushrooms, place all the ingredients except the mushrooms into a blender and blend to a smooth paste. Add the mushrooms to the paste and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
4. For the paneer, heat the oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the spinach paste and the water and cook over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes, or until the paste starts to thicken. Add the paneer and the onion and cook for another minute, or until the onion just starts to soften.
5. Meanwhile, thread the marinated mushrooms onto skewers, place onto an oiled baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time. Once cooked, add the mushrooms to the paneer mixture.
6. To serve, divide the filling into five portions and place each portion onto a warmed tortilla. Roll up and cut on the diagonal.

INGREDIENTS

• 100g/3½oz unsalted butter
• 250g/9oz digestive biscuits
• 100g/3½oz icing sugar
• 280g/10oz cream cheese
• ½ tsp ground green cardamom seeds
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 200ml/7½fl oz double cream
• 50g/1¾oz pistachios, crushed, to decorate
• sugared rose petals, to decorate

For the tropical fruit salad

• 50g/1¾oz caster sugar
• ¼ tsp rosewater
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 dragon fruit, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 guanabana, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 Sharon fruit, peeled and cut into chunks

METHOD

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Put the biscuits in a food processor and whizz to make crumbs. Add the melted butter and mix together.
2. Press the biscuit mixture into the base and sides of a 23cm/9in fluted loose-bottomed flan tin. Put in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up.
3. Meanwhile, beat the icing sugar and cream cheese together in a large bowl. Stir in the cardamom and ginger.
4. In a separate, large bowl, beat the double cream. Fold in the cream cheese mixture.
5. Spread the mixture on top of the biscuit base and place back in the freezer for 15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, to make the fruit salad, boil 50ml/2fl oz water with the sugar in a small saucepan over a medium heat, until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the rosewater and lemon and leave to cool.
7. Scatter the pistachios on top of the cheesecake, sprinkle with a little of the rosewater syrup and decorate with some petals.
8. Combine the fruit in a large bowl and pour over the remaining rosewater syrup. Mix together and serve with the cheesecake.

INGREDIENTS

For the crumble

• 100g/3½oz caster sugar
• 100g/3½oz ground almonds
• 100g/3½oz plain flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 75g/3½oz butter

For the filling

• 15g/½oz butter
• 750g/1¾lb rhubarb, trimmed, cleaned and cut into 2.5cm/1in lengths.
• 2 green cardamom pods, split
• 100g/3½oz muscovado sugar
• 1 orange, zest and juice
• 2 tsp orange blossom water, or to taste

To serve

• custard

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
2. To make the crumble, put the flour, sugar, ground almonds and cinnamon in a large bowl and mix well. Taking a few cubes of butter at a time, rub into the flour mixture. Keep rubbing until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. To make the filling, melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the prepared rhubarb, sugar, cardamom, orange zest and juice. Cook on a low heat for 5 minutes.
4. Carefully remove the cardamom pods, and add the orange blossom water to the mixture. Pour into a large ovenproof dish. Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the top, and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the topping is golden-brown.
5. To serve, spoon out portions into bowls and serve with hot custard.