Some days ago I just published the recipe of Cardamom chicken in German, then I saw there is a new food blog event called The Spice is Right hosted by Barbara of Tigers and Strawberries. A good coincidence for me!

Cardamom is one of the world’s very ancient spices. It is native to the East originating in the forests of the western ghats in southern India, where it grows wild. Today it also grows in Sri Lanka, Guatemala, Indo China and Tanzania. The ancient Egyptians chewed cardamom seeds as a tooth cleaner; the Greeks and Romans used it as a perfume; and I used it to prepare a delicious Cardamom chicken. ;-)

Cardamom chicken
Serves 2




2 chicken legs
4 cardamom pods
10 g grated fresh ginger (or 1 ts ginger powder)
2 garlic toes
1/2 ts fennel seeds
1/2 ts cayenne pepper
125 g low fat yogurt
2 cockerel clubs butter
125 g onions, chopped
1/2 cinnamon stick, approx. 4 cm long
1 clove
75 ml water
1 jar of saffron
1 tb Maizena, disolved with 1 tb water
salt

Separate de the seeds of the cardamom pods. Add all spices to the yogurt and mix finely with blender.

Remove skin from chicken, cut into halves. Rinse chicken and pat dry, marinate with prepared yogurt during at least 1 hour. Melt butter in a fry pan add chicken and brown lightly on all sides. Put chicken in a roasting tray. Now steam onion, cinnamon stick, clove and saffron in the pan. Add yogurt-marinade and water, cook during some minutes, then add it to the chicken.

Put the covered roasting tray in the preheated oven (200 Grad) during 45 minutes.

Take out the chicken, keep it warm. Remove cinnamon stick and clove and mix the sauce with blender. Season with salt.

Serve with rice with raisins and flavoured with turmeric.

technorati tag: The spice is right