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We hope you enjoyed your fragrant media kit featuring a sample of Bankstown’s most popular flavours.
The indulgent ingredients and enticing aromas provide just a snapshot of the delights that will be on offer at Bankstown Bites on Saturday 25 July.
A description of ways to use the contents is detailed below. Try the recipes yourself and share them amongst your friends.
Don’t forget to use your voucher, also included in the kit, entitling you to a free meal or shopping experience at one of a sumptuous array of Bankstown food businesses.
We also invite you to book a place on a Discovery Food Tour on festival day, either on-line before the festival, or at the event.
See you at Bankstown Bites!
Cardamom|Star anise|Cinnamon|Dried Lime|Kaffir lime leaves
Cardamom Back to Top
Photography by Luke Burgess
Although it originated in India, this fragrant favourite now weaves its magic around the globe.
Cardamom pods are the fruit of a large ginger-like plant that's native to the rainforests of southern India. Each pod contains 15 to 20 tiny, sticky black or brown seeds with a strong fruity aroma.
Used in Indian cooking for around 2000 years, cardamom seeds were also chewed by the Egyptians to clean their teeth. The Greeks and Romans enjoyed cardamom as a perfume and the Vikings took it from Constantinople to Scandinavia where it's still used today to flavour cakes and pastries.
Ranging in length from five to 20 millimetres, the smaller pods are called green while the larger ones are known as black cardamom. White cardamom pods are simply bleached green ones, so if a recipe calls for these, use green ones instead.
Cardamom seeds lose their flavour when ground or exposed to air, so it's best to buy whole pods and grind as needed. Whole or split pods (which have been crushed to expose the seeds) are used in slow-cooked dishes such as curries and stews.
Buying
Ground and loose seeds are available in the spice section of most supermarkets, while pods can be found in specialty food stores.
Cooking
When cooking the seeds, bruise them with the back of a knife or grind with other spices before frying. Cardamom is essential in curry powders, dhals and masalas, and is also used to flavour desserts and drinks.
Storing
Pods will keep for around a year if stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
Source
Good Taste - January 2006, Page 66
Author: Jana Waldmann
Photography by Mark O'Meara, Ben Dearnley & Steve Brown
Star anise lends its strong flavour to Chinese, Indian and Vietnamese cooking.
Star anise is the dried, star-shaped fruit of an oriental evergreen tree.
It has a strong, sweet, aniseed-like aroma and flavour.
Star anise fruits are harvested unripened and dried in the sun, during which time they develop their characteristic aroma and flavour and deep, reddish-brown colour.
They're often used in Asian soups and marinades, and are available whole and as a powder from supermarkets and Asian grocery stores.
Source
Super Food Ideas - February 2008, Page 12
Author: Kim Coverdale
Sweet, warm and fragrant, cinnamon is one of the most commonly used spices in Australian kitchens. And rightly so. Hot doughnuts are nothing without cinnamon, it lends certain soups and stews a depth of flavour, and a multitude of cakes and puddings would be a sad disappointment if it were not for this delightful spice.
Cinnamon has been used since pre-biblical times both medicinally and as an ingredient, and until recently was a rare and highly sought after commodity. It comes from the inner bark of a tropical tree native to Sri Lanka. The cinnamon flavour comes from the essential oil in the bark. When the bark is dried, it curls into quills which are then cut into shorter lengths and sold as cinnamon sticks. Alternatively, it can be ground and sold as a powder.
Varieties
Cinnamon sticks
Cinnamon sticks, also known as cinnamon quills, are rolls made up of tight layers of dried bark. When broken, they release a sweet aroma. Cinnamon sticks are commonly added to stews, curries and hot drinks.
Ground cinnamon
Commonly used in baking, desserts and sweet drinks, ground cinnamon is also used in some savoury cooking.
Buying and storing
Cinnamon is available from supermarkets. Store in an airtight container in a cool place for one to two years. Fragrance is a good test for freshness. If it does not smell sweet and warm then it is past its best.
Source
Taste.com.au - January 2009
Author: Francesca Percy
Description & Use: Dried limes, commonly referred to as black lime, are light-tan to dark brown in colour and have a wonderful citrus-like fermented flavour, which compliments fish and chicken dishes. Make a few holes in the skin of the black lime with a skewer or fork and leave in the pot during cooking. Put one in the cavity of poultry being roasted.
Source: www.gourmetshopper.com.au
Essential in South-East Asian cooking, kaffir lime leaves grow in pairs and have an intense fragrance.
Are they good for me?
They contain beta-carotene, but aren’t eaten in large enough amounts to make a significant nutritional contribition.
Buying & storing
Kaffir lime leaves are sold in punnets in the fresh herb section. Buy dark-green, glossy leaves. Store in a plastic bag in the crisper for up to one week. You can also freeze the leaves for up to a year.
Preparation
Remove the centre vein, then finely shred or tear the leaves to add to salads and stir-fries. Add whole or torn to soups and curries – remove before serving.
Cooking tips
- Add one kaffir lime leaf to jasmine rice before steaming to give it a citrus taste.
- Stir thinly shredded leaves through a laksa or stir-fry at the end of cooking.
Source
Good Taste - October 2008, Page 30
Author: Alex Greig
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