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Kabab chini- A tailed peppercorn

Written by:-Radhe Bihari, Chef-HRD, AIH&TM

Website:- WWW.Chefs.ookul.co

Kabab chini- A tailed peppercorn

What is Kabab Chini?

Kabab chini is a dried ripe berries of Piper cubeba commonly known as Cubeb is similar in appearance to black pepper, but with stalks or tail attached that is why it is also called “tailed pepper”. The berries seed becomes hard when dried. Its outer color is grayish-brown to black while the inner part looks white and oily. The flavor of kabab chini can be described as a cross section between the flavour of all spices and black pepper. it has a tail on its base which is whitish yellow in colour.

Pic courtesy -The gin guild

Cultivation of piper cubeba or kabab chini

Piper Cubeba plant is commonly known as Cubeb is a Perennial & climbing woody shrub or belong to Vine family which grow around 16-20 ft tall with a support of wood/bamboo to hold its plant structure. Its leaves look like oval shape and 10-12cm in length and the fruit is tiny and green in color. The fruit is usually plucked from the tree when it is fully mature or grown but just before ripening or still in green in color. The average size of the fruit is approx. 45-47mm in diameter when mature for ready for processing. The flower of this plant is in spikes form which is generally found at the end of the branches.

The kabab chinni plant is native to Indian ocean island countries such as Indonesia (Mainly in Greater Sunda Islands), Java, Southern Borneo, Sumatra, Malaysia and Sri Lanka etc. In India it is mainly cultivated in the state like Kerala and Karnataka, Kashmir valley.

Pic courtsy:-amazon.in

How it is processed from fruit berries to spices:-

The fruit or berries of cubeb are plucked with its stalks or tail from the tree just before ripening and collected in basket and bring to the processing area where the berries are carefully crushed to obtain the hard seed from it and care should be taken not be damage the stalk parts from its fruit, then allow to dried in the sun. The dried seed is wrinkled and color of the kabab chini can range from gray brown to black in color when completely dried. The seed is hard in nature and white from inside. Their thin stalks, or “tails” that remain attached with fruit, give its nickname of “tailed pepper.” It also contains around 12-18 % volatile oil.

Courtesy from-Sciencedirect.com & easyayurveda.com

Common name in India & around the world:-

• In English it is commonly known as Tailed pepper, Java Pepper
• Kabab chinni or Sital chini in Hindi & Urdu
• Sital Chini – In Bengali
• Balamenasu, Gandha menasu in kanadda
• Thippali in Malayalam
• Valmilagu, Thippili or Sinamilagu in Tamil
• Tokarmiriyalu in Telgu
• Tadamiri or Chinikabab in Gujrati
• Sungad-muricha in Sanskrit
• Kakkol, Kababcheni in assamese
• Kushfal or Kababchini in Kashmiri
• Kababchini in oriya
• Cubeb in Italian
• Kubeba in Japaneese
• tjabe djawa in Indonesia
• chaba huchu in Korea
• Prik hang in Thailand.

Flavour profile of Kabab chinni:-

Since this spices looks like black peppercorn but difference is only with the stalk or tail attached on its base of this spices that is the main reason it is called tailed pepper. It is a culinary spice and having agreeable and aromatic order. Its smell like a combination of spices like clove, black pepper, cinnamon & nutmeg. Due to this smell characteristic it is also commonly known as all spices in English. The taste of kabab chinni is pungent, slightly bitter, acrid and persistent.

It is believe that Christopher Columbus during his journey to Caribbean countries has discovered allspice while he searching pepper. As he had never actually seen the real pepper, he thought allspice was it. The name allspice comes from the fact that the flavor tastes like a combination of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves.

Oil extracted from Cubeb or kabab chinni:-

Pic courtesy-myupchar.com

Cubeb essential oil is extracted from the cubeb berries by way of distillation process. Its oil is not as peppery in aroma as black pepper essential oil. Its oil is softer,sweet warm and woody fragrance. Its oil is mainly used in the fragrance application, soap manufacturing,

Culinary use of Kabab chinni:-

• Kabab chinni is a spice that makes it place in Indian cuisine as well as several Asian countries cuisine. it is used as a tenderiser and preservative. It is also used in ketchup, canned meat & marinades etc to give flavour and colour to the meat dishes.
• It is extensively used as a condiment and can be used equally in salty and sweet dishes.
• It is often used to impart a special flavour to spice up the meat & kabab dishes, curry & gravy, vegetable dishes, soup and sauces etc. it also goes well with fish dishes.
• Kabab chinni play a vital role in the preparation of Sahi Garam Masala powder which is used to enrich the flavour of meat dishes, kababs & lamb biryanis. The recommended quantity of use of kabab chini in the preparation of 01 kg of traditional Garam masala powder is approximate 20-25gms.
• Kabab chinni can be dry roasted for few seconds before grinding into the powder form to extract its spicy peppery aroma which is similar to the clove & black pepper and can be added in powdered form in very little quantities to mostly red meat preparations, like Dum ke Kawabs, Dum ka Qimah, Haleem, etc.
• Kebab chini has a longer shelf life as a whole fruit and it is mainly available in the market in the whole spices form rather than powdered form.
• it is a fragrant ingredient in tea making, flavouring Gin etc.

Heath Benefits:

Kababchini (Cubeb) is rarely used in Ayurvedic medicine, but it has great importance in the new medical system. In recent years herbal medicine and aromatherapy options have become popular. In this case, the Kababchini (Cubeb) is being declared all-round. It strengthens bones, can remove wrinkles, increases digestive power, increases the immunity system to fight against diseases.

Use & benefit of Kababchini’s are countless as it is very beneficial herbs and have several medicinal use such as

curing mouth diseases, preparation of aromatic oils that are used to treat arthritis and relieve joint pain, used as a stimulant, treatment of dysentery, asthma, and leucorrhoea and widely used as a home remedy for throat infections & cough.

One can take kabab chini powder with misri early in the morning in case of painful urination or in case of piles.

Popular brand in India:-

It is easily available in the Indian market in the form of whole dried spices. The average price range is between Rs 4000 to Rs 6000/- per kg depending upon the quality & brand name.

• Yuvika kabab chinni
• Seeds & hands Wayanad kababchini
• Saby food kababchini
• SPS Marketing premium kabab chini
• Neotea val milagu kababchini
• Urban platter kabab chini
• Zaika food
• Virju Mahavir kabab chini
• Delicious kabab chini
• Ruchi kabab chini
• Veg E wagan kabab chini
• Grihhasthi kabab chini