The Pantry / Black cardamom
Black cardamom
Amomum subulatum · badi elaichi · kali elaichi
Cardamom’s darker cousin, dried over fire, and it tastes of it.
What it is
Black cardamom is a large, dark-brown, ridged pod, quite unlike its small green namesake. It is dried over open flames, which gives it a distinct smoky, resinous, camphorous character: a savoury spice, not a dessert one, and no substitute for green cardamom.
Where it comes from
It grows in the eastern Himalaya (Sikkim, Nepal, Bhutan and the surrounding hills), where the fire-drying that defines its flavour is part of the harvest.
What it's called
Black cardamom · badi elaichi (“big cardamom”) · kali elaichi (Hindi). Botanically Amomum subulatum.
In the kitchen
A whole pod (usually bruised) goes into slow-cooked meat gravies, biryani and robust masalas, lending smoky depth; it is lifted out before serving. It belongs in the savoury, warming dishes of the Mughal Corridor, never in sweets, where its smoke would be wrong.
What we know about the claims
No notable health claims. It is a flavouring spice, used whole and in small numbers. Its smoke is culinary, from drying, not a cause for concern.
Choosing and buying
Sold whole in South Asian grocers (UK and US); the pods keep well. Buy whole and bruise as needed: pre-ground loses the smoke quickly.