Description of the chaman seasoning. Calorie content and composition of the spice. Why the spice is good for the body and can it harm? Cooking - recipes for the most interesting dishes. As you can see, the use of spices has a beneficial effect on the activity of the whole organism. However, with such a unique biochemical composition, there is absolutely nothing surprising in this.
The spice has a powerful regenerating effect, and therefore it perfectly helps to treat diseases, one way or another associated with a lack of nutrients - anemia, neurasthenia, underdevelopment of one nature or another, tuberculosis, etc.
Harm and contraindications to the use of chaman
However, no matter how useful the described product is, you shouldn't mindlessly add it to your diet. First of all, you need to study the contraindications to spices, which, alas, are available in any spice. Particular attention should be paid to the study of the potential harm of products in the case when it comes to the presence of a large number of biologically active components in its composition, and this fact is definitely relevant for the chaman.
So, to whom do the spice contraindications apply? First of all, it should be said that the abuse of chaman can harm even the healthiest person, and therefore we urge you to observe moderation when adding the product to the diet.
Chaman is strictly forbidden:
- Pregnant women, since it tends to increase the tone of the uterus, which means it can cause its contractions and premature birth or miscarriage;
- People suffering from thyroid diseases - in this case, the use of spices can lead to hormonal imbalance;
- With insulin-dependent diabetes;
- If you have high levels of prolactin and estrogen hormones;
- In case of blood clotting disorders and diseases that may be accompanied by blood loss, chaman has the property of thinning the blood, and therefore its use can lead to severe blood loss.
It is necessary to use the spice with caution for asthmatics and allergy sufferers - many substances in the composition of the spice can cause individual intolerance to the components.
If you have other health problems or are taking certain medications, you should consult with your doctor before introducing the seasoning into your diet.
While chaman is prohibited during pregnancy, it is, on the contrary, recommended to drink a spice-based infusion before childbirth - they will pass faster and easier.
Chaman recipes
Chaman is especially popular as a spice in India and the countries of the East. The seasoning often becomes a component of various spice mixtures such as curry, masala, khmeli-suneli. However, it is also used as an independent ingredient.
The most famous dish that cannot be imagined without chaman is basturma. It is a spicy jerky meat, this delicacy is very popular in Egypt and Armenia. It is also very often used in cheese making.
However, seasoning is also used in the preparation of ordinary homemade dishes - soups, meat and fish, salads, sauces. Here are just a few recipes that the chaman complements in a particularly harmonious way:
- Real Indian soup … Before preparing this dish, you will have to visit an Indian spice shop, as it uses ingredients exotic for our country, but the result will be worth the effort. Take a mortar, mix together cumin seeds (1 tablespoon), black peppercorns (1 teaspoon), curry leaves (a good handful). Mix separately the tamarind paste (3 tablespoons) with water (1 liter), put on fire and bring to a boil. Add prepared spices and tomatoes, previously peeled and chopped into thin slices (2 pieces). Cook the soup for 5 minutes over low heat. Meanwhile, fry mustard seeds and chaman (pinch each) in a skillet over high heat, as well as chopped chili peppers (3 pieces), carefully watch the spices, do not burn them. Add the fried spices to the soup and serve immediately.
- Spicy chicken curry … Prepare all the products: finely chop the chili peppers (3 pieces), peel and chop the ginger root (1 piece) and garlic (3 cloves), use a blender to mash the onions (2 pieces) and tomatoes (3 pieces), peel the chicken legs (2 pieces) and thighs (4 pieces) from the skin. Melt a small piece of butter in a deep frying pan, mix with olive oil (50 ml), add the chicken pieces. Then add the prepared ginger, garlic and chili and cook for about a minute. Now season the meat with spices - turmeric and chaman (1 tablespoon each), paprika, nutmeg, mustard seeds and cumin (1 teaspoon each), and also add a pinch of white pepper and coriander, salt to taste. Mix everything thoroughly and cook for a couple of minutes, then put onion, tomato puree and coconut milk (400 ml) into the pan. Mix everything again and simmer for 30-40 minutes.
- Spicy paella … Boil mussels (200 grams) in slightly salted water for 3-5 minutes. Boil rice (100 grams) until tender. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the onion (1 head) until golden brown, then add the bell pepper, chopped into strips (1 piece). Cook for 5 minutes, then add the mussels and fry everything together until they form a small crust - remember to stir constantly. Pour in the teriyake sauce (to taste), simmer for a couple of minutes. Put the mussels in the sauce from the pan, put the rice on it and fry it with the spices - coriander, cumin and chaman (pinch each) for 5 minutes. Combine rice with seafood.
- Homemade basturma … The main thing for this recipe is to get the right meat. You will need good quality beef - the inside of the back leg. Peel the meat (1 kg) from fat, streaks and films. Make multiple punctures all over the surface with a sharp knife. Rub the meat with salt (100 grams) and refrigerate for three days. Rinse the meat and place in a container of water for three hours, then dry and wrap in a cotton towel and place under a press for a couple of hours. Remove the towel, attach a strong thread on one side and hang to dry in a ventilated place at a temperature of 20-25 degrees for four days. Prepare a spice mixture - chopped garlic (4 cloves), black and red hot peppers (0.5 teaspoon each) and fenugreek (40 grams). Add a little water to it - you should get a paste. Spread generously the meat in the pasta, hang it again in a ventilated room, after 1-3 weeks the basturma will be ready. The readiness to check is simple - basturma should be as hard as dry-cured sausage.
Using chaman in recipes is a great opportunity to get new notes in familiar dishes. If you love culinary experimentation, just trust your experience. All you need to know is that chaman adds a subtle nutty flavor and aroma to food. By the way, the use of the spice is not limited to savory dishes; it can also be added to baked goods. This is a common practice in Egypt.
Interesting facts about chaman
Chaman is perhaps the leader in terms of the number of backup names. As soon as this spice is not called - fenugreek, shambhala, fenugrek, helba, methi, sweet clover, etc.
In ancient Egypt, the spice had a very unusual field of application - it was used for embalming.
Another exotic use of the spice, which is practiced to this day, is to increase the milk production of cows. Chaman is added to feed to increase milk yield.
If the spice is consumed in large quantities, the smell of sweat and urine may change, it will become similar to the scent of maple syrup.
In the East, it is believed that wrapping with a special paste of honey and chaman promotes breast enlargement. Oriental girls still believe in this spice effect and practice similar procedures.
Chaman is a great travel companion, it allows the digestive system to adapt to unusual food. It is enough to add just a small pinch of spice to an exotic dish to prevent intestinal disorders.
The spice is often used as a thickener in the preparation of sauces due to its high starch content.
Watch a video about chaman:
Chaman is a unique natural gift. This spice contains in its composition a record amount of useful components, and if contraindications to the spice do not apply to you, be sure to use it in cooking, at least occasionally. By the way, in Russia the chaman was highly respected, it is true, they knew more under the name fenugreek, but, one way or another, there was a place for him both in cooking and in folk medicine.