Little pods of cardamom are powerhouses of flavour and aroma. Bruise a couple of them and add to milk and you will know what I am talking about. They are like vanilla essence or pods in baked goods for me…they make everything better. Sweet or savory, the warm earthy tones can complement both flavour profiles. As a little girl, I enjoyed the addition of cardamom in almost all Indian dishes but I also vividly remember how I much disliked if I happened to bite into one. It tasted strong…too strong for my liking and would always make me wonder why it could not be removed once it’s role in the dish was over. Then I discovered ground cardamom. I found it more convenient and the flavour more intense to work with. Simply by cracking the pods open and passing the seeds through a food processor, you have a magical ingredient to liven up your food.

The flavours in these chicken skewers are subtle. They are meant to be like that. But the chicken is soft to the point of falling off the skewers. The marination tenderises the meat while leaving behind soft notes of cardamom and a creamy base to flavour it.

The salsa is great accompaniment to the chicken with relatively bold flavours. This reminds me of a pumpkin-potato stir fry my mother makes with mustard seeds. Mustard seeds have a lovely nutty taste. You could substitute with cumin seeds if not available at hand.
Ground cardamom is mostly available in India supermarkets. Making it at home is easy as well by crushing the seeds in a food processor. Use the skins to flavour tea.

Cardamom Chicken Skewers with Pumpkin Salsa
Serves 4

Chicken thigh fillets 500 g, chopped into cubes
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 inch ginger, finely grated
1 tbsp. green cardamom powder
2 tbsp. sour cream
2 tbsp. tasty cheese/mozzarella, grated
1 tbsp. corn starch
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1/2 cup coriander leaves, finely chopped
Salt for seasoning

Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Add the garlic, ginger and cardamom powder and mix together with the chicken so it is evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and add in the sour cream, cheese, corn starch, chillies, coriander and salt. Mix gently until the chicken is evenly marinated. Refrigerate for an hour for the flavours to develop.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil. Thread chicken onto skewers.(If using bamboo skewers, soak skewers in cold water for 30 minutes). Bake for 25 minutes, turning the skewers once in between.

Pumpkin Salsa (adapted with variation from Taste.com)

500g butternut pumpkin, chopped into small cubes
Olive oil cooking spray
2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
coriander leaves, to serve

Preheat oven to 220 degrees C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Arrange pumpkin, in a single layer, on prepared tray. Spray with oil. Bake for 20 minutes or until pumpkin is tender
Meanwhile, place mustard seeds in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook for 2 minutes or until seeds begin to pop. Combine seeds, onion, vinegar and oil in a bowl. Stand for 20 minutes to let flavours develop. Place pumpkin in a bowl. Add the mustard and onion mixture. Stir to combine.