Shop Cardamom Online

Green. The two are different spices that happen to share a name. Green cardamom is the small pale-green pod used in chai, rice, curries and sweets. Black cardamom is a much larger, dark, wrinkled pod that is dried over a fire, so it carries a smoky note and is used in savoury cooking rather than in desserts. They are not substitutes for one another. The photograph and the description on the listing show which one a pack is.

Yes. Elaichi is the Hindi and Urdu name for the same spice, and choti elaichi — small elaichi — is green cardamom specifically. Badi elaichi or kali elaichi is black cardamom. Shops in New Zealand label it either way, so it is worth knowing both names when you are searching.

Whole pods keep their aroma far longer, because the seeds stay sealed inside the husk until you break it. Ground cardamom is quicker, and is what a baking recipe usually wants, but it fades noticeably faster once the packet is open. Most people who cook with it regularly keep whole pods and grind a small amount when a recipe calls for the powder.

Three ways, depending on the dish. Whole and bruised — press the pod with the flat of a knife or the base of a cup until it splits, and drop the lot into rice, a braise or a pot of chai, then leave the husk in or pick it out at the end. Seeds only — split the pod, tip out the small dark seeds and use those. Ground — take the seeds from several pods and crush them in a mortar or a spice grinder just before you need them.

Less than you think, and add rather than correct. Cardamom is assertive, and a dish that has too much of it tastes soapy and cannot really be rescued. Two or three bruised pods is a common starting point for a pot of rice or a pan of chai for a few people, and recipes that call for the ground spice usually want a quarter to half a teaspoon. Taste as you go.

No — the green husk is fibrous and is there to protect the seeds. In a curry or a biryani the pods are usually left in and pushed to the side of the plate, which is why you sometimes bite one by accident. If you would rather nobody did, split the pods and use the seeds only, or tie the pods in a small piece of muslin and lift it out at the end.

In a sealed container, somewhere cool, dark and dry, and not in the cupboard above the stove. Heat, light and air are what flatten a spice, and steam from the hob is the worst of the three. Keep it out of the fridge: a cold container brought into a warm kitchen collects condensation. Whole pods hold their aroma for a long time stored that way; ground cardamom does not, so buy it in small amounts.

The weight, the barcode and the best-before date are on the product page as the store has entered them, and the ingredient and allergen statement is on the packaging itself. Those are the manufacturer's and the store's to state, so check them there rather than relying on a general description.

Delivery is calculated at checkout, where the exact amount is confirmed. Free delivery applies above the threshold shown there, in the Auckland region only. There is no minimum order value, and you can combine items from other local stores in the same cart.