What are these?

MrsDangermouse

MrsDangermouse

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I need help from you all please....I'm sure someone here will know what these are!

I was sorting through the kitchen cupboards a few days ago and came across some small dried things that I'd decanted into a jar and stuck a handwritten label on with the instructions "Mix to a paste with milk or water. Leave for 10 minutes." But unfortunately I didn't write down what they actually are! :oops:

They are quite small (the photo is with a teaspoon for scale) and smell slightly spicy and smoky. The smell reminds be a bit like chipotle paste, but they're far too small to be dried chipotle chillies (and they don't look like a dried chilli anyway).

So.....does anyone have any ideas what they might be?

Um6f5Qg.jpg
 
MrsDangermouse said:
I need help from you all please....I'm sure someone here will know what these are!

I was sorting through the kitchen cupboards a few days ago and came across some small dried things that I'd decanted into a jar and stuck a handwritten label on with the instructions "Mix to a paste with milk or water. Leave for 10 minutes." But unfortunately I didn't write down what they actually are! :oops:

They are quite small (the photo is with a teaspoon for scale) and smell slightly spicy and smoky. The smell reminds be a bit like chipotle paste, but they're far too small to be dried chipotle chillies (and they don't look like a dried chilli anyway).

So.....does anyone have any ideas what they might be?

View attachment 89754
Click to expand...

Black cardamoms.

cardamomb.jpg


A member of the ginger family, cardamoms are used extensively in Indian curries, rice dishes and deserts. They may be used whole but removed prior to serving, or the pods opened and the seeds crushed. The white pods have been bleached and have less flavour and aroma than the unbleached green pods. Black cardamoms look a little like beetles and have an earthier, deeper flavour that the green cardamoms.
 
MrsDangermouse said:
I need help from you all please....I'm sure someone here will know what these are!

I was sorting through the kitchen cupboards a few days ago and came across some small dried things that I'd decanted into a jar and stuck a handwritten label on with the instructions "Mix to a paste with milk or water. Leave for 10 minutes." But unfortunately I didn't write down what they actually are! :oops:

They are quite small (the photo is with a teaspoon for scale) and smell slightly spicy and smoky. The smell reminds be a bit like chipotle paste, but they're far too small to be dried chipotle chillies (and they don't look like a dried chilli anyway).

So.....does anyone have any ideas what they might be?
Click to expand...

I use, "shelled" for garam masala.

garammasala.jpg
 
Yep, definitely black cardamom. I add them whole to dahl and sort of mash them down a bit to release the flavour as the dahl cooks (then remove before serving as the husks are not really edible). They are earthy, smokey, aromatic and quite delicious. In fact they are one of my favourite spices.
 
Thank you both, I knew someone here would know :highfive:

I do now remember buying some black cardamom a while ago after reading how different it is to the green cardamom you usually see. I was wondering where it had got to, and obviously forgot what what it looked like too! We're off on holiday soon so I'll have to think about how to use them when we get back.

I'm now off to write another label for that jar so I don't forget again :giggle:
 
I'm also pretty sure the (misleading) existing label on the top of the jar is left over from the Elizabethan Gunpowder Mustard powder we used the jar for before (those instructions make more sense for making up a mustard LOL). So that's now all covered up and its properly labelled now :okay:
 
When I first moved here in 1999 I couldn't find black cardamoms anywhere (no on-line shopping then). No problem, I thought, the wife of the Managing Director of our Malaysian partner had a spice shop in Kuala Lumpur. Albeit she was of Indian descent she had never heard of black cardamoms! I eventually received the first pack from a mate travelling from India (together with curry leaves and methi leaves).
 
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