What's not a nutmeg?

[thock]

The other day, I went to a local Asian market and got a bunch of things, among them being a bag of what they claimed to be "dried nutmegs." They were a good price (I don't remember how much, off-hand), so I bought some. After getting home, I compared them with my neighbor's nutmegs, and they are not the same thing at all. What could these be? I'm fairly convinced they are NOT nutmegs, but they smell good. I cracked one open to see what was inside. I will, of course, be getting real nutmegs from Penzey's or some other place, but I am curious to see what they really are, and whether they're usable for anything.

front of bag

back of bag

some of the not-megs

the broken-open one

Any help solving this mystery would be appreciated. I wish there was such a thing as smell-o-vision so that I could post the fragrance, but oh, well...

Tracy

[prasantrin]

http://www.fzrm.com/plantextracts/Caoguo_extract.htm

Often used for medicinal purposes, related to cardamom. I think it might be black cardamom, but you'd have to do further research on that.

[thock]

Oh, thank you very much! That looks exactly like what I have. I will now see what it can be used for, besides as an anti-malarial

Tracy

[djyee100]

Good call, Prasantrin! Yes, it looks like black cardamom to me, too. Unfortunately I don't have any in the house right now to compare, but it looks like what I remember. I've used black cardamom in Indian cooking, and it's not the easiest spice to find and buy, either. Thock, maybe some Indian cooking is in your future?

[thock]

I will have to find some good recipes to try!

I'll also have to go back to that store and buy more of this, if it's not easy to find, huh? I can't remember how much it cost, but it wasn't much, I'm sure.

Tracy

[djyee100]

I've always had to hunt for this spice in Indian groceries. It's not in the usual places where I buy spices. You can always stock a one-year supply, though little is used at any time. I've just noticed that Penzeys sells it.

Usually the seeds are taken out of the hull and used, as with green cardamoms. But I learned how to cook with the whole black cardamoms.

To get you started--

A simple garam masala from the Lucknow region of Northern India, which I learned to make from chef Ruta Kahate: 3 whole green cardamoms, 1 whole black cardamom, 3 cloves, 1/2-inch piece cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf (Indian, if you can find it). This garam masala is kept whole, not ground. Toss in the whole spices with uncooked rice when making a rice pilaf, or add the spices to some sweet potatoes, then braise the sweet potatoes. (You can remove the spices before service, or people can eat around them.) I've tasted this garam masala in both dishes, and it's good. The rice pilaf was served with braised lamb and caramelized onions. All this reminds me, I should make these dishes again...

Edited October 18, 2009 by djyee100 (log)

[thock]

Thank you! I will try that.