Cardamon

Cardamon is a mild, warmly fragrant spice that is used in both sweet and savoury dishes. It is also one of the core spices used in masala chai (chai latte or spiced tea) and garam masala.

There are two varieties of cardamons, identified by the colour and texture of the pods: the more commonly used green cardamon (to light brown); and the black cardamon (to dark brown). One can not be substituted for the other and all recipes on this website use green cardamons. When buying green cardamons, the more green the pods, the better the quality.

How to use cardamons

The cardamon pods contain small black or brown seeds. Recipes may call for whole cardamon pods, cardamon seeds, or crushed/ground/powdered cardamon. Peel the pods to get the seeds.

If I'm grinding cardamons for curry powder or garam masala, I always use the whole pod. For sweets and desserts, I usually grind only the seeds. You can save the skin/peel and add it to your rice or tea.

Cardamon is one of the few spices that I tend not to roast before grinding. It is best to use freshly ground seeds or to grind very small quantities and store in an airtight container. If you're grinding just the seeds, it's quite easy with a mortar and pestle. More muscle power is required for whole pods, or use a coffee grinder.

Perfect match

Cardamon goes extremely well with pears. Try roasting, grilling or frying pears, sprinkled with ground cardamon in a little bit of butter. Serve with vanilla ice cream or custard. Mmm-mm!