Black cardamom

Black cardamom (Urdu: بڑی الائچی ) (also known as brown cardamom, thảo quả and tsao-ko) is a plant in the family Zingiberaceae. Its seed pods have a strong, smoky, anise-like flavor.

The pods are used as a spice, in a manner similar to the green Indian cardamom pods, but those have a drastically different flavor. Unlike green cardamom, this spice is rarely used in sweet dishes. Its smoky flavor and aroma derive from traditional methods of drying over open flames.

Species
There are at least two distinct species of black cardamom: Amomum subulatum (also known as Nepal cardamom) and Amomum costatum or A. tsao-ko. The pods of A. subulatum, used primarily in the cuisines of India, are the smaller of the two, while the larger pods of A. costatum (Chinese: 草果; pinyin: cǎoguǒ; Vietnamese: thảo quả) are used in Chinese cuisine, particularly that of Sichuan; and Vietnamese cuisine.

Culinary uses


In India, black cardamom seeds are often an important component of the Indian spice mixture garam masala. Black cardamom is also commonly used in savory dal and rice dishes.

In China, the pods are used for long-braised meat dishes, particularly in the cuisine of the central-western province of Sichuan.

The pods are also often used in Vietnam, where they are called thảo quả and used as an ingredient in the broth for the noodle soup called phở.

Black cardamom pods can be used in soups, chowders, casseroles, and marinades for smoky flavor, much in the way bacon is used.

Black cardamom is often erroneously described as an inferior substitute for green cardamom by those who are unfamiliar with the spice. Although the flavor differs from the more common green cardamom, black cardamom is sometimes used by large-scale commercial bakers because of its relative cheapness.

Medicinal uses
In Chinese medicine, tsao-ko is used to treat stomach disorders and malaria.

Packages warn not to eat the product uncooked or as a snack food.