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Cardamom, a popular holiday cookie spice and one of the spices in a chai tea blend, can be brewed into a flavorful tea that tastes very “seasonal.”
If you have green cardamom* pods in the pantry, let it multitask: Make cardamom tea. The pods infuse well in boiling water and cardamom tea can be served hot or iced. If you’d rather have full-out chai, here’s the recipe.
CARDAMOM TEA RECIPE
Ingredients For Two Cups Of Tea
2 cups water
8-10 green* cardamom pods
2 green tea, black or white tea bags, or two teaspoons loose tea
1 tablespoon grated orange rind or fresh orange juice
*There are two types of cardamom: black (actually brown in color) and green, and both can be purchased in pods or ground (the seeds are removed from the pods prior to grinding). The flavor of black cardamom is too strong for tea.
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Infuse black, green or white tea with cardamom pods. Photo of black tea with cardamom courtesy TeraWarner.com, where you can read more about the health benefits of cardamom.
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Preparation
1. BOIL water in a saucepan; reduce to a simmer.
2. CRUSH the cardamom pods and add to the water; simmer for 2-3 minutes.
3. REMOVE from heat; let tea and orange steep for 5-10 minutes.
4. STRAIN or otherwise remove teabags and pods.
5. REHEAT and serve with optional sweetener(s). You can also add milk, as is done in Indian cardamom milk tea; but we like it straight. It’s also delicious iced.
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Green and black cardamom pods (as you can
see, the pods are brown, not black). Photo
by Autopilot | Wikimedia. |
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MORE USES FOR CARDAMOM
Baked goods: apple cake/pie, breads, cookies, pound cake, shortbread
Coffee: infuse pods in a French press or add ground cardamom to ground coffee
Fruit: chilled fruit soup, poached fruit
Pudding: custard, panna cotta
Ice cream: infused into the cream/milk for chocolate, coffee, lemon or vanilla ice cream
Indian cuisine: curries, lentil dishes and rice pilaf
Rice: brown or white (add pods to the cooking water)
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ABOUT CARDAMOM
Cardamom, a member of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae) is native to Bhutan, India and Nepal. It is used in cuisines throughout the world, from its native region to the Middle East to Scandinavia. The name derives from the Latin cardamomum and the Greek kardamon, which referred to a particular Indian spice plant.
Cardamom spice is bold: intensely aromatic (some say resinous) with strong flavor. Black cardamom is stronger and more smokey, with nuances that some find to be similar to mint.
Cardamom is the world’s third most expensive spice by weight, following saffron and vanilla. But just a pinch is needed in most cases.
It is a bold spice, with an intensely aromatic (some say resinous) aroma and a strong flavor. Black cardamom is more smokey, with nuances that some find similar to mint.
As with many spices, cardamom also has health benefits, which range from improving digestion to increasing one’s metabolism.
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