What is Black Cardamom. Its benefits and uses
Black cardamom (Amomum subulatum Roxb)
Black cardamom is a popular warm spice used mainly in savoury dishes. Good quality black cardamom is around one inch in length, has dark brown pods inside a dry, hard and wrinkly covering. Traditionally, it is dried on an open fire and has a slightly smoky and earthy flavour. In modern times, sun driers are being used to intensify the flavour of black cardamom. It has several health benefits that surpass its use as an aromatic in cooking.
INDIAN NAME OF SPICES
Hindi : Bara Elaichi
Bengali : Bara Elaichi
Malayalam : Perelam Punjabi : Bara Elaichi
Sanskrit : Brihadaela
Tamil : Periya yalam
Telugu : Peddayelaki
Urdu : Bara Elaichi
FOREIGN NAME OF SPICES
English : Black Cardamom,Nepal Cardamom
French : Cardamome noir
German : Nepal Cardamom
Chinese : Xiang Doukou
Nepalese : Elaa
Health Benefits of Black Cardamom
- Improves blood circulation
- Treats respiratory problems
- Good for digestion
- Good for oral hygiene
- Treats cold and flu
- Good for kidney health
- Reduces stress and depression
- Fights urinal disorders
- Cures asthma
- Aid in weight loss
- Has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties
Add Long Black Cardamom in your daily diet
- It is used in Indian garam masala and herbal teas
- It is a main ingredient in pan masala
- Black cardamom can be used in soups, curries and marinades for a smoky flavor
- It is used in rice puddings, cakes, ginger fig chutney and payasam
- makes a good blending spice, you can use it with other spices to make dry rubs and seasonings
- No special rice preparation is complete without black cardamom. It is used to flavour pulaos, briyanis and other rice delicacies
How to select Black cardamom
It is always advisable to buy whole rather than lose pods or powder as it loses flavour and potency once the skin is removed. Choose dry and plump seeds which are at least one inch in length. When required remove pods and powder them without the skin either in a coffee grinder or hand pound them using a mortar and pestle set.
Always buy from well known and trusted brand to ensure genuine product. The market is filled with inferior quality and duplicate products
Ensure it is organic and free from pesticides and additives
Always ask sourcing details from the seller. Spices sourced from small and marginal farmers are genuine and better in quality. They are grown with no pesticides and processed hygienically.
Always buy spices/food in sealed packs from genuine and trustworthy sellers. Also check for the date of packaging as well as expiry.
How to Store Black Cardamom
Storage Instructions
- Store black cardamom in an air tight glass jar or tin container to retain its flavor and aroma for a long time
- Store in a cool, dry place. It can be stored upto 3 years
- Expose unused black cardamoms to indirect sun for sometime every 4-5 month. The musty smell will evaporate and the cardamom will become fresh again. Don’t keep it in hot sun for a long time.
- For bulk storage on a long-term basis, store black cardamom in polythene bags inside a wooden box. The storage room should be dark, dry, clean, cool, and free from pests.
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Difference between LAW Black Cardamom and other Black cardamom |
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LAW- Black Cardamom |
Ordinary Black Cardamom
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Source organically grown black cardamom from Sikkim and Darjeeing district of West Bengal |
Market available black cardamom is not organically grown. Mostly imported |
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Partnered with the best organic farmers only who have a credible track record |
In bulk procurement it would be difficult to source only organic produce |
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We source only local and indigenous varieties of black cardamom. No genetically modified or hybrid used |
Nowadays hybrid imported varieties are wildly available in Indian market |
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We adopt sourcing of black cardamom in small batches so that our buyers get freshly harvested spices |
In normal conditions, it’s not possible to adopt small scale procurement for larger companies as the cultivation area is in north east, Nepal and Darjeeling only |
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We are happy to share the genuine source authenticity details of our spices and farmers |
Sourcing details cannot be disclosed as procured from different centress |
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Our spices are free from pesticides, fertilizers and using only traditional farming techniques |
Pesticide content is high in market available black cardamom |
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Our spices are tested for the presence of heavy metals and it is free from all types of heavy metals
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Percentage of heavy metals like lead, zinc, nickel, copper, iron, mercury, cadmium and arsenic are very common |
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We don’t sell oil extracted, polished or artificial color added black cardamom. |
Oil extracted and polished widely available in the market that lacks natural strong aroma |
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We adopt steam sterilization of all our spices and then dry in solar dryer |
Spices are generally dried in sun only, that looses its nutrition content |
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Our farmers are technically supported by CFTRI, Mysore for harvesting, drying and preserving of spices without nutrition loss |
Generally farmers are not getting any such education on drying process & preservation of spices |
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We don’t promote the use of preservatives or additives to enhance the shelf life |
Chemical preservatives are mostly added to get better shelf life and rich black colour |
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Due to the rampant problem of adulteration in spices powders, we produce our spices powders in-house only.
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Market available spice powders are produced with third party manufacturing. Only labeling is don’t by big brands |
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Eco-friendly, non-plastic packing like tin or glass to sell spices/powders are used for packing |
Spice powders are generally packed in plastic pouches, which is health hazardous |
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