Questions about Black Cardamom, Citrus and Other Ingredients in Dorie Greenspan's Fresh Orange Pork Tenderloin

[ElsieD]

@heidih I didn't know mineolas were a grapefruit/tangelo cross and I'm glad to know that because I am not allowed to eat grapefruit.

 

  I made the dish tonight and am underwhelmed.  I didn't find it "orangy" enough in taste and I found out I don't much like the flavour of black cardamom.  I used 1/4 tsp. measured after I bashed it, but was still left biting into fairly sizable pieces.  I'm thinking adding some Grand Marnier to the dish might gave helped.  Ot maybe the oranges weren't that tasty.  I dunno.  The potatoes roasted in duck fat were good though as was the wild asparagus my BIL foraged for me.

[Okanagancook]

Well, poop.  All that trouble.

There aren't that many ingredients so each one has to be good.  Wondering if orange zest would help?  Grand Marnier is a good idea.

I will have to try it when I get some pork.

[ElsieD]

12 minutes ago, Okanagancook said:

Well, poop.  All that trouble.

There aren't that many ingredients so each one has to be good.  Wondering if orange zest would help?  Grand Marnier is a good idea.

I will have to try it when I get some pork.

 

There are only a few ingredients and one of them is orange zest.  I was careful to not include any of the pith.  So basically orange juice, zest, oranges, cardamom, shallots and pork.

[CatIsHungry]

My husband and son enjoyed it - they had me put it in the “three month rotation” file. 

 

Notes: I could only pick up Navel oranges - it’s what was available. 

 

I used very little black cardamom - probably an 1/8 of a tsp (I cook by smell if one of the guys isn’t here - I cannot taste what i am cooking anymore 😞 ) - no one was here, so smell was it - no taste testers. Black cardamom is something that - well - I’m glad I used very little. 

 

At @JoNorvelleWalker recommendation, I used shallots - and I’m glad I did - I will continue to do so. I used extra — glad I did that, too. The 

 

After I removed the loin and oranges from the skillet, I added a couple of Tbsp of fresh squeezed OJ and another half Tbsp of zest to the remaining liquid and continued to cook it for several more minutes - “more orangey” - well, my nose liked it anyway. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

@ElsieD I am so very sorry!  As fond as I am of Grand Marnier it would make a completely different dish entirely.  Also if you have a medical condition I'd be warry of your citrus.  The orange is a hybrid of a pomelo and a mandarin.  Grapefruit is a hybrid of a pomelo and an orange.

 

Or as Wikipedia explains:  "[C]itrus taxonomy is fairly controversial, confusing or inconsistent."

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_(fruit)

 

 

The "fairly sizable pieces" problem is why I bashed my black cardamom in the mortar the second time around.  Black cardamom seeds sure hurt when you get one in your shoe.

 

 

[liuzhou]

Anyone having difficulty sourcing black cardamom and not having an accessible Indian store might be interested to know that black cardamom is also used in some areas of China (especially Sichuan) and in Vietnam where they are an ingredient in the broth for phở. So they should be available in Chinese or S.E. Asian markets/stores.

 

In Chinese they are: 草果 (cǎo guǒ); in Vietnamese: thảo quả.

 

Here are some I bought today. The largest is just over 1 inch long.

 

[ElsieD]

Maybe some star anise would amp up the orange flavour?

[liuzhou]

16 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

Maybe some star anise would amp up the orange flavour?

 

Or dried tangerine peel, also available in east-Asian stores. I dry my own.

 

 

 

Edited May 29, 2019 by liuzhou (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

3 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Anyone having difficulty sourcing black cardamom and not having an accessible Indian store might be interested to know that black cardamom is also used in some areas of China (especially Sichuan) and in Vietnam where they are an ingredient in the broth for phở. So they should be available in Chinese or S.E. Asian markets/stores.

 

In Chinese they are: 草果 (cǎo guǒ); in Vietnamese: thảo quả.

 

Here are some I bought today. The largest is just over 1 inch long.

 

 

Those do look plump.

 

[Eric Srikandan]

The black cardamom thing is curious - I was just looking at Kenji's Khao Soi recipe which asks for black cardamom (Thai) and then states that there are two types - one with a white outer and black seeds and one as per in this thread.

 

https://www.templeofthai.com/food/spices/cardamom-3101000344.php

 

 

 

[Okanagancook]

That's interesting.  I have not seen these.  I wonder what they taste like.

[Eric Srikandan]

5 hours ago, Okanagancook said:

That's interesting.  I have not seen these.  I wonder what they taste like.

 

Those are what I have although I haven't tasted them as such. I'll take a photo when I use them next.

[AAQuesada]

love the flavor of black cardemom but my inclination is usually to throw it in whole then fish it out later or if i'm going to bash it -put it in a tea bag to fish out. love the smoky flavor, It's a secret ingredient in my bbq sauce. shhh.

[Eric Srikandan]

Here you go - Thai black cardamom.

[Okanagancook]

Looks a lot like white cardamom from my East Indian store...rounder rather than oblong.