Short answer
Cardamom is a spice made from the seeds inside small pods of plants in the ginger family. Green cardamom is sweet and floral, black cardamom is smoky, and both are used whole or ground in curries, rice, tea and sweets.
Cardamom is a spice made from the small seeds inside the pods of plants in the ginger family. Green cardamom tastes sweet and floral, while black cardamom tastes smoky and resinous. Both are used whole or ground in curries, rice dishes, chai and sweets across Indian, Middle Eastern and Scandinavian cooking.
What is cardamom?
Cardamom is the dried, seed-filled pod of Elettaria cardamomum, a tropical plant related to ginger. The pods hold tiny black seeds that carry the flavour, and the spice is sold as whole pods, loose seeds or ground powder.
The plant grows in warm, humid regions, with India and Guatemala among the best-known producers. Cardamom is often called the “queen of spices”, a nickname that reflects its price and its long history in cooking. In Hindi and Urdu, cardamom is elaichi.
What are the types of cardamom?
There are two main types sold in Indian groceries: green cardamom, also called true or small cardamom, and black cardamom, also called large or brown cardamom. They come from different plants and are used differently.
| Type | Hindi name | Look | Flavour | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green cardamom | Choti elaichi | Small, pale green pod | Sweet, floral, citrusy | Chai, rice, sweets, curries |
| Black cardamom | Badi elaichi | Large, dark brown, wrinkled pod | Smoky, resinous, cooling | Biryani, meat curries, dal |
| White cardamom | Bleached green pods | Pale pods | Milder green flavour | Mostly Western baking |
Black cardamom, from plants of the Amomum genus, is not a stronger version of green cardamom. It is a separate spice with a smoked, camphor-like character from drying over fire.
What does cardamom taste like?
Green cardamom tastes sweet and perfumed, with notes of citrus, mint and a hint of eucalyptus. The first impression is floral, followed by a gentle cooling, slightly peppery finish.
A single crushed pod can flavour a whole pot of rice or tea. Black cardamom tastes much more intense and smoky, closer to a campfire than a flower, so cooks use fewer pods. Because the flavour is so strong, many recipes call for just two to four green pods at a time.
How do you use cardamom in cooking?
Use cardamom whole to infuse rice, curries and tea, or ground and stirred into batters, sweets and drinks. Whole pods give a gentle aroma, while ground seeds give stronger and more direct flavour.
- Rice and pulao: add two or three lightly crushed green pods to the pot with the rice.
- Curries: temper one or two pods in hot oil with cloves and cinnamon at the start.
- Chai: crush two pods per cup and simmer with tea and milk.
- Sweets: grind the seeds into kheer, halwa, gulab jamun syrup and ladoo.
- Baking: use ground cardamom in buns, cakes and biscuits, a habit common in Scandinavian baking.
Should you buy whole pods, seeds or ground cardamom?
Whole pods give the freshest flavour and the longest shelf life, so they are the best default. Ground cardamom is convenient but fades quickly, and pre-ground powder can contain husk as well as seeds.
Seeds without the husk are a middle option. They are easier to grind and take less space, but they cost more per gram. For everyday cooking, buy whole green pods and grind small amounts when needed. Look for pods that are plump, even in colour and fragrant when squeezed.
How do you open and crush cardamom pods?
To open a cardamom pod, press it with the flat of a knife or the back of a spoon until it splits, then pick out the seeds. The husk can go into the pot or the bin.
- Press the pod until it cracks open.
- Tip out the small black seeds.
- Crush the seeds in a mortar for sweets, or leave them whole for rice.
- Keep the husks to simmer in tea, or discard them.
About ten pods give roughly one teaspoon of seeds, though the exact count varies with pod size.
How do you store cardamom?
Store cardamom whole in an airtight jar in a cool, dark cupboard, away from steam and heat. Whole pods keep good flavour for a year or more, while ground cardamom is best within a few months.
If you buy ground cardamom, choose a small pack and close the lid firmly after each use. A freezer is not needed. If the pods no longer smell sweet when crushed, replace them.
Which dishes use cardamom?
Cardamom appears in rice dishes, milk sweets, chai and spice blends across South Asia, and in coffee and baking elsewhere. The same spice plays a sweet role in one dish and a savoury role in the next.
| Dish or drink | Which cardamom | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Masala chai | Green, crushed | Perfume in the milky tea |
| Kheer (rice pudding) | Green, ground | Sweet floral finish |
| Biryani and pulao | Green and black | Aroma in the rice |
| Garam masala | Green, sometimes black | Part of the warm blend |
| Gulab jamun syrup | Green | Scent in the sugar syrup |
| Arabic coffee | Green | Spiced coffee served in small cups |
Can you use green and black cardamom together?
Green and black cardamom can be used together in one dish, and many biryani and garam masala recipes do exactly that. Green gives sweetness and black adds smoke.
Use more green than black. A pot of rice for four might take three green pods and one black pod. Black cardamom dominates quickly, so one pod is plenty, and cooks usually remove it before serving because the large husk is hard to chew.
What can you use if you have no cardamom?
A pinch of cinnamon with a tiny pinch of ground ginger or nutmeg is the usual substitute for cardamom, used in about the same amount as the recipe asks. It will taste warmer and less floral.
In chai and sweets the missing floral note is easy to notice. In rice, curries and spiced baking the swap is much less obvious, because other spices share the work.
Where does cardamom fit at Mera Desh Grocery?
Mera Desh Grocery is an Indian grocery store in Truganina, Victoria, where cardamom is the kind of spice an Indian grocery would normally stock. Whether green or black pods are on the shelf is not recorded.
The store’s recorded range, taken from a Google reviewer, covers lentils, flour (atta), nuts, vegan snacks, frozen vegetables, paneer, yoghurt and buffalo milk, and no spice is named. There is no price list online. Call 0430 123 394 before a trip, and see the hours and location page and the menu and ranges page. This guide is independent and takes no orders.
Common questions
Why is cardamom so expensive?
Cardamom pods are picked by hand from plants that take years to mature, and the pods must be dried carefully. That labour is the usual explanation for its high price per gram compared with other spices.
Can I eat cardamom pods whole?
The papery husk is tough and is normally removed or left in the pot and not eaten. People crack the pod and use the black seeds, or add whole pods to rice and fish them out before serving.
Do cardamom and cinnamon taste similar?
They share a warm, sweet side, but cardamom is more floral and citrusy with a cooling note, while cinnamon is woody and sweet. They pair well, which is why chai and many garam masala blends contain both.
Is cardamom the same as elaichi?
Yes. Elaichi, also written ilaichi, is the Hindi and Urdu word for cardamom. Choti elaichi means green cardamom and badi elaichi means black cardamom.
How long does ground cardamom last?
Ground cardamom loses aroma quickly, usually within three to six months in a sealed jar. Whole pods keep their flavour much longer, which is why many cooks grind seeds as they need them.
For the address, opening hours and menu, see Mera Desh Grocery in Truganina.
This article is general information from an independent guide, not from Mera Desh Grocery itself. For the store’s current details see hours and location.