ground cardamom
Also known as: cardamom
The dried seeds of the cardamom pod, ground to a powder, with a warm, sweet, slightly citrusy and floral flavor unlike any other common spice. Used in both baking (spiced rolls, chai-spiced desserts) and savory cooking, especially South Asian and Middle Eastern dishes and spice blends.
Buying guidance
Buy in small quantities if possible -- ground cardamom is one of the faster spices to go flat and dusty-tasting, since its floral aromatics are especially volatile. Grinding your own from green cardamom pods (crack the pod, use just the black seeds inside) gives a noticeably brighter flavor than pre-ground, worth doing if a dish uses enough of it to matter.
Substitutions
- Freshly ground cardamom seeds from whole pods -- the best possible substitute for stale pre-ground; grind just before using.
- Cinnamon plus a little ginger -- gives warm spice character but misses cardamom's distinctive floral-citrus note entirely; use only when cardamom truly isn't available.
Tips & common mistakes
Cardamom's flavor tips easily from pleasantly floral to soapy and perfume-like if you use too much -- start with less than seems right, especially in savory cooking, since it's much easier to add more than to fix an overdose.