Cardamom

Cardamom is the seed pod of a plant in the ginger family. Green cardamom, the common kind, has small pale green pods with sticky black seeds inside. It smells sweet, piney and slightly citrusy. It is one of the main spices in Indian cooking and in Scandinavian baking.

How to use it

• Whole pods. Lightly crush them with the flat of a knife and add them to rice, curries, poaching syrups or chai. Fish them out before serving, or warn people, as biting into one is unpleasant.
• Seeds. Split the pods, tip out the seeds and grind them in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder just before using. This gives far more aroma than ready-ground cardamom.
• Toasting. For savory dishes, toast the pods or seeds in a dry pan for a minute or two, until fragrant.

Cardamom is strong. Start with less than you think, especially in sweet dishes, and taste.

Substitutes

There is no true substitute. For baking, a mix of cinnamon and a little nutmeg gives warmth but not the same perfume. For savory food, garam masala already contains cardamom and can stand in.

Black cardamom is a different spice. It has large, dark, wrinkled pods dried over fire and tastes smoky and medicinal. Do not use it in place of green cardamom in baking.

How to store it

Keep whole pods in an airtight jar away from light and heat. They keep their scent for a year or more. Ground cardamom fades within a few months, so buy it in small amounts.

In recipes

Swedish recipes use kardemumma in cardamom buns (kardemummabullar), cinnamon buns, semlor and many cakes for fika. They often call for stött kardemumma, which means crushed seeds rather than fine powder. Crush the seeds in a mortar until they are coarse, or use ground cardamom and reduce the amount by about a quarter. Indian recipes use elaichi in biryani, chai, kheer and spice blends.