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Bark and pods

Black cardamom

Amomum subulatum

Large, wrinkled brown pods with a smoky, camphor-like flavour for savoury Indian and Chinese dishes.

Also called: badi elaichi, kali elaichi, brown cardamom

  • Smoky & roasted
  • Resinous & piney
  • Earthy
  • No heat
Buying & storing11 recipes

Flavour and aroma

smoky, camphor-like, menthol, earthy. Smoky, camphor-like, earthy.

Heat
No heat
Forms
whole, ground

How to use it

  • bloom in fat · Tadka (tempering) technique

    Crack the pod lightly and fry whole in hot ghee or oil for 20–30 seconds, at the start of pulao, rajma or meat curry. Remove before serving.

  • dry roast · Spice roasting (dry-roasting) technique

    For garam masala, roast with the other whole spices over low heat, then grind the seeds (or the whole pod for a smokier masala).

  • Whole in biryani, pulao and rajma
  • Garam masala and chole masala
  • Slow-cooked meat curries such as nihari
  • Chinese red-braised dishes and Vietnamese pho

Identifying good quality

Large, dark brown, wrinkled pods 2–3 cm long, with a rough, fibrous skin. They should smell strongly smoky; a faint smell means old pods.

  • Not to be confused with Cardamom: Green cardamom is small, green and sweet-floral, and used in sweets too.

Origin and history

Origin: The eastern Himalaya: Sikkim, eastern Nepal and Bhutan.. Grown and used: Grown mainly in Nepal, Sikkim, Darjeeling and Bhutan; also related species in China..

Black (large) cardamom is a Himalayan crop, dried over wood fires, which gives it its smoky aroma. It is used in Punjabi and Mughlai garam masala, rajma, chole and meat curries, and in Nepali and Bhutanese cooking.

Well documented

In masalas, pastes and sauces

Recipes with black cardamom