WATER CHESTNUTS
What is water chestnuts?
It is not a nut but a floating aquatic plant that grows in marshes. It is commonly used in Chinese cooking. It is a seasonal fruit that is available only after the monsoon until the start of winter. Devil’s pod, buffalo nut, water caltrop are some of its other names.
It is a knobby edible tuber with a reddish black skin and a white crunchy flesh. The baroquely shaped fruits resemble the head of a bull.
Rinse before use and remove the flesh while being consumed. They have a sweet taste with a slight crunch, somewhat nutty.
Because of their living characteristics, toxic content is formed in the seeds. The fruit is roasted to remove the toxins. While purchasing make sure you buys the ones that look firm and are wrinkle free. Unpeeled chestnuts can last up to a week. They should be stored in the refrigerator.
Use of water chestnuts
Roasted Singhara is consumed as a raw fruit, boiled or is grounded to powder and added as an ingredient in dishes. They are commonly used in Chinese and South East Asian cuisines.
It is dried and made into flour in India. Boiled singharas are sold as a popular street food snack in India.
Singhara fruit and its by-products like the juice and flour are used in cookery and medicine as well.
They are frequently eaten raw or added to stir fries, stuffing and dumplings for texture and it’s sweet flavor. Steamed, the skin takes on a blackened color and it tastes almost like a potato.
** source : Food NDTV
CARDAMOMS
What is cardamom?
Cardamom is a spice made from the seed pods of various plants in the ginger family. Cardamom pods are spindle-shaped and have a triangular cross-section.
The pods contain a number of seeds, but the entire cardamom pod can be used whole or ground. The seeds are small and black, while the pods differ in color and size by species.
DRY FRUITS
What is dry fruits?
Dried fruit is fruit from which the majority of the original water content has been removed either naturally, through sun drying, or through the use of specialized dryers or dehydrators.
Dried fruit has a long tradition of use dating back to the fourth millennium BC in Mesopotamia, and is prized because of its sweet taste, nutritive value, and long shelf life.
** source : Wikipedia