46 h. ago The cardamom conundrum: what’s the difference between green and black pods? | Kitchen aide

Did you even know there is a black cardamom? And white and red ones, too? And that some are good for sweet recipes and others for curries? Our top cooks have all the spicy smartsWhat’s the difference between green and black cardamom, and when should I use pods or ground? “Cardamom is my favourite spice,” says Cynthia Shanmugalingam, chef/proprietor of Rambutan in London. “It smells like childhood puddings and sweets.” That’s not to say the papery pods filled with black seeds aren’t versatile, mind. Yes, cardamom can bring a “piney, eucalyptus-like fragrance and warmth” to desserts, Shanmugalingam adds, but it also “adds depth” to savoury dishes, meaning you can take it in multiple directions.With its origins in southern India and a relative of ginger, cardamom pods commonly come in green and black (also known as brown) form, as well as red (used mainly in Chinese and Asian cuisines) and white, which are bleached green pods. While Roopa Gulati, author of Indian Kitchens: Treasured Fa...

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8 d. ago Beyond boiling and steaming: alternative ways of cooking asparagus | Kitchen aide

The delicate flavour of this fleeting seasonal treat means it requires a deft touch in the kitchen, says our panel of stalk-fanciersWhat unexpected things can I make with asparagus? “The goal is to do as little as possible to it,” says Ben Lippett, author of How I Cook (published in September). “If you start dressing up asparagus with fancy cooking techniques, you lose its magic.” That’s not to say you should just boil the spears and be done with it, mind: “Try pairing them with relatively high-impact flavours, but nothing that will steal the show,” Lippett says. “Much as with a salad dressing, you want something with richness, fragrance, acidity and salinity.” Instead of a gribiche-style sauce, for example, sub in Kewpie (Japanese mayo), pickled ginger, chives, sesame seeds and frozen peas “to make a spoonable condiment”. Or cook asparagus chunks with lots of butter and a shot of water, then “finish with lemon and grapefruit segments, cracked hazelnuts and sheets of comté”.Asparagu...

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1 week ago What happens when the US declares war on your parents? The Black Panther Cubs know – podcast

The Black Panthers shook America awake before the party was eviscerated by the US government. Their children paid a steep price, but also emerged with unassailable pride and burning lessons for todayBy Ed Pilkington. Read by Chiké Okonkwo Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Wanted: new sauces and dressings to jazz up weekday cooking | Kitchen aide

If your evening meals are getting a bit samey, our roster of cooks has a bounty of saucy ideas that might just help transform your dinners for goodWhat sauces and dressings can I make to rejuvenate weekday meals?Sauces and dressings give dinner life, making even the simplest meals taste better. The formula, says Gurdeep Loyal, author of Flavour Heroes (published in June), goes something like this: “You need two things: a really good fat and a really good sour.” Sure, that fat could be oil, but it doesn’t have to be. “It could be an egg yolk, it could be avocado, but if it’s oil, go for a flavoured one,” Loyal says, and in place of the usual acid suspects (vinegar or citrus), try the likes of gherkins, capers or preserved lemons instead. “My go-tos are preserved lemon whizzed up with a bit of their brine, some garlic-infused olive oil and maple syrup. Or avocado blitzed with gherkins, gherkin brine, a bit of sugar, if you want, and perhaps herbs such as chives or tarragon. Or chilli-...

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2 w. ago ‘They excavated a nightclub!’: uncovering Black British history beyond London – podcast

From struggles over miscarriages of justice to groundbreaking music, Lanre Bakare looks at the places and events that shaped Black Britain in the Thatcher yearsWhen Guardian arts and culture correspondent Lanre Bakare was growing up, he learned the same Black British history as many of us did. It was a series of singular events: the docking of the Windrush in 1948, unrest in Notting Hill or Brixton, the murder of Stephen Lawrence. All important, but all firmly focused on the capital.Now Lanre has written a book about the Thatcher years, looking at the stories that are less often told: those that took place outside London, in Liverpool – with the oldest Black community in the UK – or in his home town of Bradford. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago The UK says at an energy summit that green power will boost security, as the US differs

Britain has announced a major investment in wind power as it hosts an international summit on energy security

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3 w. ago What’s the secret to the perfect spring breakfast? | Kitchen aide

Our panel of early risers have some sprightly suggestions for a springtime breakfastBreakfast normally means porridge, but what are the alternatives in spring?It’s a truth universally acknowledged that most breakfast binds can be solved with oats. But when porridge doesn’t float your boat, it’s got to be bircher muesli or overnight oats. “I have always been a bit rude about overnight oats,” says Will Bowlby, co-founder of Kricket, whose Shoreditch arm recently launched a breakfast menu. “But when the weather is warm, soaking oats in coconut water, mixing them with jaggery, then throwing in things like fresh coconut, rhubarb or raspberries is a really nice alternative to porridge.”And it’s those extras that will set your oats apart, says Nia Burr of Esters in north London. “Flavour a big batch of yoghurt at the beginning of the week with honey and some kind of citrus, such as lime or blood orange, and make a rhubarb compote,” she says. “We then top it all off with a polenta-based cru...

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