Glossary

Cardamom

An aromatic spice from southwestern India. The spice has a pungent aroma and a warm, spicy-sweet flavour and is widely used in Scandinavian and East Indian cooking. Cardamom is better bought in the pod as the ground seeds soon lose their flavour. Remove the seeds and grind them or grind the whole pod, quickly done with a pestle and mortar. If using cardamom to flavour dishes such as stews and curries, lightly crush the whole pod and add it to the mixture: the shell will disintegrate while the dish cooks. Be frugal when using cardamom - a little goes a long way. In Indian cooking, black cardamom has a smoky flavour and is integral for Rogan Josh. The green is used more in desserts and sweets and is an important ingredient in Garam Masala.

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Hot Tips

Chopping an onion

Cut the onion it in half across the base (leaving a portion of root on each half - this will help keep the onion together while slicing), peel the onion and place cut side down. Make multiple cuts long ways from top to bottom but not through the root at the end. The more cuts, the finer the dice.

Glossary

Juniper Berries

A tangy, aromatic dark red-purple berry used to flavour meat marinades and stews. It is also used to make gin.

 
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