GREEN CARDAMOM

SWEET AND VERSATILE, THIS SPICE IS AS AT HOME IN TEA OR A HOT CHICKEN DISH AS IT IS IN A SWEDISH BUN. WORDS: ANJUM ANAND

Throughout my life, I’ve always been immersed in the world of spices. Coming home from school, I was welcomed by their complex yet nuanced smells, each distinguishable and unique. My chosen career then kept me close to these magical ingredients as I explored Indian food. This cuisine is essentially a tapestry of regional cuisines, but the one thing uniting them all is a love of spice.

Spices were woven into the fabric of Indian food thousands of years ago for their medicinal properties. But really, they’re prized for their flavour and how they transform ingredients and elevate dishes. Many other cuisines use spices, but nowhere is it used with the same enthusiasm as India, and while the country grows around 50 varieties, only a handful make it into the nation’s spice tins. Green cardamom, one of my favourites, is one of them.

Its heady fragrance breathes life into me every morning as I sip my freshly made spiced tea. The flavour itself is a journey of herby notes, floral sweetness and a eucalyptus-like flavour.

I use this spice often. I always add a couple of pods to my curries. It works with so many things, from red meats to vegetables and in tomato-based and creamy sauces. Cardamom forms a key part of India’s famed spice blend, garam masala, which melts away into dishes, adding mystery and complexity to dishes. It works well with the delicate flavour of rice, and when I was young, my mother often added a crushed pod to my hot milk. It’s somehow both revitalising and soothing.

But perhaps cardamom shines brightest in desserts away from other distractions. It’s the vanilla of India, thanks to its complex flavour and lack of bitterness (something unusual in spices). Of course, we’re not the only country using cardamom in this way — Scandinavians use it extensively in their baking. However it reached there, it stayed, and many Swedes consider cardamom to be a taste of home.

Time to get cooking. Try my top three cardamom creations, from sweet carrot kheer to masala chai.