Cardamom

[herbgeek]

Do you use it? I love the smell. I put it in the coffee basket when I'm brewing coffee sometimes, I put it in chai, and spice liqueurs.

I was out of it, so I stopped at an Indian market today. They only had cardamom in the shell (pods). Both green and black. Was unsure of which to get for which purpose, but I bought the green. Some of the seeds inside are brown, and some seeds are black.

Is there any easy way to get the seeds out of the shell? I wound up using a paring knife to make a small slice in each pod in order to open them like a pistachio. Very labor intensive, so I saved most of the pods for another day. >8)

[studentofecology]

I use it when I make Phở, but I just dump the whole pods in. I also use it ground up in sweet baked goods, like cookies and cinnamon rolls.

[JaneV2.0]

I use it in chai, lassi, and some desserts. Generally, I crush the pods and soak them in water or other liquid until their flavor is absorbed, then discard the pod.

[Jilly]

I chew on once in a while.

[Rosemary]

I love cardamom! Green is what you probably wanted. Black cardamom has a smoky aroma and it more for use in stews.

[treehugger]

I love cardamom! Green is what you probably wanted. Black cardamom has a smoky aroma and it more for use in stews.

Yes, I agree with this. I don't have a great way of getting the seeds out of the pods, so now I buy the seeds and then grind them myself. Sort of the middle ground (no pun intended, I swear!), since buying pre-ground doesn't have as good a flavor, but buying the seeds and grinding is delicious and they keep almost as long as buying in the pods.

I love it in coffee, too (mmmm, Turkish coffee!), as well as baked goods instead of cinnamon (for a change of pace).

Kara