Cooking with cinnamon, cardamom & cumin

A selection of recipes from Jenny Garing

 

Cinnamon-Baked Apples

Prep time: 20 minutes. Cooking time: 55 minutes
Serves 6

6 apples
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon or cassia
½ cup sultanas
1 tablespoons brown sugar
50g soft unsalted butter, chopped
2 tablespoons almonds, chopped
450mls dry white wine
1/3 cup caster sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 large strip orange rind
2 tablespoons melted butter
Whipped cream, to serve

Core the apples then remove vertical strips of peel at 3cm intervals to give a striped effect. Combine ground cinnamon, sultanas, brown sugar, butter and almonds in a small bowl and stir until well combined. Press cinnamon mixture into the cavity of each apple and put apples in a baking dish just large enough to hold them.
Combine wine, caster sugar, cinnamon sticks, vanilla bean and orange rind in a bowl and mix well, then pour into baking dish around apples and bake at 180°C, basting frequently with wine mixture, for 40 - 50 minutes, or until apples are tender.
Remove apples from dish, transfer liquid to a saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes until reduced and slightly thickened. Strain.
To serve, put apples in serving dish, drizzle with wine syrup and accompany with whipped cream.

** 

Cinnamon and Almond Lamb Curry
This rich and creamy 'white' dish is a refined affair, like many a Moghul recipe. The addition of the vegetables is not authentic but makes it an easy one pot affair. When my husband makes this dish he uses a pressure cooker and cuts the cooking time down to 40 minutes.
Prep time: 20 minutes.  Cooking time: 1½- 2 hours
Serves 4 - 6

Wet Paste
2 fat garlic cloves, sliced
1 ½ large onions, quartered
4 green chillies, deseeded and coarsely chopped
5 tablespoons ground almonds

2 tablespoons unsalted butter or ghee (clarified butter)
5 green cardamom pods, bruised
1 cinnamon stick
800g diced lamb
5 tablespoons plain yoghurt
350ml Chicken stock
1 cup diced pumpkin
1 cup green beans, trimmed
325 ml double cream
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon flaked almonds

To make the wet paste, put the garlic, onions, chillies and almonds into a blender and blend until smooth, adding a little water or stock to let the blades run. Set aside.
Melt the ghee in a large, heavy-based saucepan and add the cardamom pods and cinnamon stick. Let the spices flavour the butter for 1 - 2 minutes, then add the wet paste. Fry the paste for 8 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning.
Add the lamb and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Then add the yoghurt and enough stock or water to cover, Heat until almost boiling, stirring constantly. Part-cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer very gently for 45-50 minutes.
Remove the lid, then stir in the diced pumpkin and green beans and season with salt. Cook for 30-40 minutes longer. (The sauce may look slightly separated, but don't worry.)
Finally, stir in the cream, increase the heat and simmer gently for a few minutes to let the sauce thicken slightly. Stir in the cinnamon. Put on a serving dish and top and a few flaked almonds. Serve with boiled rice.

**
Sweet and Sour Orange Relish- to serve with meat.

The sourness and spice in this sauce make a perfect foil for rich roast duck or pork. It also goes well with ham, lamb and even chicken

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon saffron threads
¼ cup sherry vinegar
Juice of 1 orange
5 oranges, peeled and cut into segments
2 tablespoons skinned, dry-roasted almonds, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Heat the oil in a heavy ovenproof pan and cook the onion until golden. Push onions to the sides of the pan and add the garlic, and cinnamon to the centre. Cook until fragrant, then mix in with the onions.
Add the honey to the pan and let it caramelize for 1 - 2 minutes.
Mix the saffron with ½ cup hot water and add to the pan along with the vinegar and orange juice.
Stir in the orange segments and season with plenty of salt and black pepper.
Put the pan in the oven for 4 - 5 minutes to cook.
Carefully remove the pan from the oven and mix in the chopped nuts. Serve the orange relish hot or warm alongside roast meats.
**

Lou
Lou is a Chinese master stock typically used in Cantonese and Fujian cuisines, featuring cassia and the other nutritional wonder spice star anise (it is used to make Tamiflu). Once you have made the base stock it is then used as a poaching or braising liquid for future dishes. Various meats are slowly braised in a master stock with soy sauce, shao xing wine, ginger, dried mandarin, star-anise, cassia bark and yellow rock sugar; flavours that intermingle and permeate the meat during the long cooking time. And because the flavours complement most meats, the variations are endless - try duck or chicken, beef brisket, lamb neck, oxtail or even pork shoulder. Vegetables such as Chinese greens, cabbage and mushrooms can also be added to the broth
The defining characteristic of a master stock from other stocks is that after the initial use, it is not discarded or turned into a soup or sauce. Instead, it is stored and reused in the future as a stock for more poachings. Each time, the meat imparts its own flavours and the stock becomes richer and more complex. After using it the first time, the stock should be strained and then kept frozen before bringing it to the boil for another use, adding a little water and some more of the original ingredients to refresh the stock if needed. In theory, a master stock could be sustained indefinitely if care is taken to ensure it does not spoil. There are claims of master stocks in China that are hundreds of years old, passed down through generations of cooks in this way.
To avoid the growth of microbes in the stock, which would pose a health risk, after use, if the master stock will not be immediately reused; it is usually boiled, skimmed, strained and cooled quickly to kill any microorganisms in the stock. It is then refrigerated or frozen until required. To keep it safe the stock must be boiled each time before being returned to storage.

Lou Master Stock

2 litres water 
1 cup light soy sauce 
1 cup shao xing wine 
150g yellow rock sugar,(or palm sugar) crushed 
⅓ cup ginger, sliced 
4 garlic cloves, crushed 
6 spring onions, 
1 tsp sesame oil 
4 star-anise 
2 pieces cassia bark 
3 pieces dried mandarin peel or orange peel* 

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer for 30 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse. Use in recipes (such as Soy-braised shiitake mushrooms with silken tofu or Soy-braised beef ribs) or simply strain, cool and freeze. The flavours will deepen and improve with each use. Every so often, add some more of the same ingredients to replenish the stock
*You can make the mandarin peel yourself by carefully peeling the skin so that it has no bitter pith. Dry it slowly in an oven on very low heat. Store in an air-tight jar
Yellow rock sugar - a light-brown sugar in crystal form, which imparts a wonderful, honey-like flavour and luscious sheen to sauces - is well worth seeking out in your local Asian supermarket. 

**
 
Black Cardamom and Cumin Rice
Prep time: 10 minutes.  Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves 4 - 6

5 black cardamom pods
⅓ cup of rice bran oil
2 small dried red chillies 
1 teaspoon cumin seed 
2 medium onions, finely diced
2 cups of long-grained rice
juice of one lime

Bruise the black cardamom pods by hitting them with the handle of a knife to split them slightly. Heat oil in a large pot on medium-high. When it starts to shimmer, add the chillies, cumin and black cardamom pods and stir constantly till fragrant, about a minute. Add the onions and cook them gently until soft. Add the rice and stir so the oil coats each grain. Scrape the bottom of the pan frequently to prevent sticking. When the edges of the grains have turned translucent and the centers are milky white, add water to just cover the rice, bring to a boil, and cover, turning the heat down to medium.
Cook for 25 minutes. Add salt to taste and stir in the lime juice well. Serve immediately. 

Green cardamom is very expensive but little goes a long way. It is used in sweet and savoury dishes across a number of different culture's cuisines from Vietnamese to Scandinavian.  You can either use the whole pod in a recipe or the seeds from the pod, but a word of warning; if a recipe says to use powder, know you are wasting your money. Once the seeds have been ground they lose their volatile oils so quickly and thus all their flavour. Its fresh top flavour notes make it a good addition to curries and Middle Eastern dishes, Danish pastries, cakes, biscuits and fruit desserts. It pairs particularly well with citrus, so try sprinkling a little on slices of orange for dessert, or on your grapefruit for breakfast. Mix it with orange juice to cook chicken in. But where it shines is when added to rosewater and saffron in milk or rice puddings.  Or better yet, used straight with anything made of coffee. Arabian cultures put a split pod into the spout of their coffee pots, allowing the hot coffee to soak up the cardamom flavour as it is poured out of the spout. You can get a taste of this by putting a bruised pod into your plunger coffee for a refreshing start to your morning. 
Try this decadent, fragrant version of a lassi. Blend 2 cups yoghurt, 2 cups milk and 1 cup water with 3 teaspoons of rosewater and a teaspoon of freshly ground cardamom seeds and sugar to taste. 

**
Persian Spiced Chicken and Potatoes
This combines typical Persian spices including cinnamon and cardamom but with the added benefit of saffron and loomi. Loomis are dehydrated whole limes that look small and wrinkly when you add them to dish but puff up with cooking and release all their flavour. If you can't get loomi use some dried lemon slices or even some fresh lemon.
Prep time: 15 minutes.  Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves 4 

1 chicken or 6 drumsticks
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon peeled and finely chopped ginger
6 cardamom pods, crushed, seeds extracted and ground
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 
1 small pinch saffron threads
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
Stick of cinnamon
1 420g can chopped tomatoes
400g potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
5 slices of dehydrated lemon or 1 dried loomi- pierced with a knife
1 ½ cups chicken stock
Handful of parsley- stalks finely chopped, leaves coarsely chopped 
1 broccoli head, cut into florets or 1 bunch of spinach roughly chopped
Pomegranate ariels to serve

Joint your chicken and use the drums, thighs and wings for this dish (saving the breasts for something else). Or just use drumsticks. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat and brown chicken on both sides. Transfer chicken to a plate and put aside.
Add another 2 tablespoons of olive oil to your pan and add the onions and ginger, stir well. Cover on a low heat and let them gently cook until lightly golden. Add ground cardamom seeds, ground black pepper, cinnamon and saffron and cook for 30 seconds, then stir in garlic and ½ teaspoon of salt. Add the chicken back into the pan with the tomatoes and potatoes. Pour the stock into the pan and add the loomi or lemon slices and the stalks from the parsley. Simmer for about 20 minutes and then add the broccoli or spinach and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender.
Serve with the parsley leaves and pomegranate ariels sprinkled on top.

*

Winter Salad with Spice Dressing
The quality of ingredients of any salad is the key, so use whatever vegetables are fresh and crisp. These ones are a refreshing salad in winter. The dressing gives the salad such a lift.

2 red capsicums, roasted and peeled
1 fennel bulb, finely sliced
5 radishes, finely sliced
1 red onion finely chopped
Greens like gem or cos lettuce, rocket, endive or radichio
Dressing- recipe below
1 preserved lemon, flesh removed, skin diced

For the vinaigrette mix ¼ teaspoon each of ground cumin, cinnamon, chilli and paprika mixed with juice of a lemon, olive oil and a splash of orange blossom water. Whisk well.
Slice the capsicum. Layer the greens on a platter and scatter the sliced vegetables over the greens. Drizzle with the vinaigrette. Top with the diced preserved lemon. 

*

Jenny’s Favourite Carrot Salad

This recipe is originally from Karnataka but goes well with western meals as well. The tempering of the spices in the oil is essential and the hot oil needs to be added to the cold carrot just before serving.
2- 3 large carrots
2 limes
salt
¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
8-10 curry leaves
½ teaspoon asafoetida
3 tablespoons oil

Grate the carrots (in a food processor is easiest) and put in a bowl with the juice of the limes and the salt. Heat the oil in a small saucepan. When it is hot put in the mustard and cumin seeds. When they start to pop put in the curry leaves and asafoetida. Swirl around and the pour over the carrots. Mix it in quickly and serve.
*

Quick Red Cabbage Pickle
I love using red cabbage and red onion in this pickle. They go so well with cumin and nigella seeds. But you could swap in other fresh vegetables, such as cucumbers, carrots, green beans, courgettes or cherry tomatoes

½ red cabbage, sliced
1 large red onion, sliced
2 teaspoons each of cumin seeds, nigella seeds and a few whole black peppercorns (you could use coriander, some chilli or mustard seeds as well)
2 cloves garlic, sliced 
1 cup vinegar, such as white, apple cider, or rice  (I like half balsamic and half other with cabbage)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon salt 

Prepare the jars. Wash 2 wide-mouth 500ml jars, lids, and rings in warm, soapy water and rinse well. Set aside to dry.
Slice the cabbage and red onion thinly. If using carrots beans or other vegetables, cut them into  desired shapes and sizes.
Add the flavourings. Divide the spices and garlic you are using between the jars.
Add the vegetables. Pack the vegetables into the jars, making sure there is 2cm of space from the rim of the jar to the tops of the vegetables. Pack them in as tightly as you can without smashing.
Make the brine. Place the vinegar, water and salt in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the salt. Pour the brine over the vegetables, filling each jar to within 2cm of the top. You might not use all the brine.
Remove air bubbles. Gently tap the jars against the bench a few times to remove all the air bubbles. Top off with more brine if necessary.
Seal the jars. Place the lids on the jars and screw on the rings until tight.
Let the jars cool to room temperature. Store the pickles in the refrigerator. The pickles will improve with flavour as they age - try to wait at least 48 hours before cracking them open

*
Mexican Spice Rub
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon chilli powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

Toast the cumin, coriander and fennel seeds in a dry fry-pan. Grind them in a mortar and pestle and then mix with the other ingredients.
•    Use as a BBQ rub on steaks or chicken
•    Rub on to chicken breasts or fish fillets to make tacos
•    Use to spice up soups.
•    Rub onto beef before roasting, or flank steak before cooking
•    Sprinkle onto nuts and roast in the oven to make spiced nuts