Cardamom

Today my muse is cardamom, probably my favorite spice, after nutmeg, that is. My fingernails are a bit challenged as a result of opening some of the woody-green pods to make Nepali-style chai. Basic recipe is a mix of instructions from my friend U's Nepali mother and my brother S's method of making Kenyan chai after living on the Masai Mara for a time.

Boil up a half saucepan of water with cardamom (you must crack it so the black seeds come out), crushed cloves, crushed cinamon stick (I prefer the soft central american version), three small cross sectional slices of fresh ginger, a shake of nutmeg. After it is good and spicy and brown, add a couple of spoonfuls of tea (preferably an assam/darjeeling mix). Boil it up until you have a rich dark brown. Add the same number of spoonfuls of sugar (preferably demererra) and milk (preferably whole). The amount of milk you add should be equal to the amount of water in the pan. Heat on medium until bubbles just start to form on the surface - don't let it boil and don't worry about stirring it. You can pour it into a teapot with the assistance of a seive. I live on this in the morning, and it gets you going in a wonderful way. And your house smells great. On the downside, my brother refers to this drink (his favorite in the morning) as "colon blaster." :)
















That chai calls for a combo of assam and darjeeling black tea as well as a cinamon stick, fresh ginger, cloves and, of course cardamom.

Although this is the primary way that I am exposed to cardamom these days, my earliest cardamom memory is from the wonderful easter bread that my granny used to make with rough crystalized sugar on top. Lovely and homey scent that always improves my mood.