Cardamom Powder Recipe : How to Make Cardamom Powder at Home

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The cardamom is also called as Elaichi. It is one of the most common wholes spices which is found in every Indian household. Its flavour’s and aroma stand out among the other Indian condiments. This cardamom powder recipe is extremely easy to follow. You can readily prepare homemade cardamom powder rather than buying the ready-made packets from the store.

Cardamom Powder

Author: Chandni Agrawal
Recipe Category: Spices & Powders
Cuisine: Indian

Description: This cardamom powder recipe is extremely easy to follow. You can readily prepare homemade cardamom powder rather than buying from the store. Try it now!

Cardamom Powder Recipe

Let’s learn how to Make Cardamom Powder step by step.

Ingredients for Cardamom Powder Recipe:

Cardamom Seeds (Choti Elaichi) – 1 cup

Note: To make the cardamom powder at home, you must buy the green cardamom. For powdering the whole cardamoms, you must use at least a cup of cardamom pods.

Steps for Cardamom Powder Recipe:

It is very easy and simple to make the cardamom powder at home. You just have to take cardamom pods and grind them to powder. But, before you begin with the grinding, you have to clean and dry roast them.

Cleaning the Cardamom Seeds:

Take cardamom seeds (Elaichi) in a big plate.
Check each seed and clean the cardamom seeds.
If you find moles or stones, then pick them and throw.
Remove other unwanted impurities as well from seeds.
Discard the bad and bitten cardamom seeds.
You must keep only the good cardamom pods.
Collect the clean whole cardamoms and keep them aside.

Note: Once cleaned, still give a check the second time. Do not use the infectious cardamom pods.

Roasting the Cardamom Seeds:

There are two ways by which you can dry the cardamom pods. You can choose any of the below methods. If you live in a place where you get enough sunlight, then go for the 1st method. But roasting on the pan is easy. Whereas drying in the microwave oven is less time-consuming.

Sun-Dry the Cardamom Pods:

Now, take a large plate. Wash, clean and dry it.
Then spread the cleaned cardamom seeds on it.
Cover the plate with a transparent glass lid or a thin cloth.
This way you can prevent the dirt from getting into the spice.
Keep this plate under the sun for 2 to 3 days.
After 3 days, check if there is any moisture in them or not.
If you find a trace of moisture, then dry for another day.

Note: If you dry the cardamom seeds in the sun, then you must take the plate inside the house in the evening.

Dry-Roast Cardamom Pods in the Pan:

In this method, take a non-stick frying pan.
Place it on the stove and switch on the flame.
Transfer the cleaned cardamoms to heated pan.
Put all the cardamom pods in a frying pan.
Keep the pan on medium heat. (Avoid the burning of seeds.)
This will take 5 to 6 minutes to dry roast them.
Stir well at regular intervals. (This prevents seeds from sticking at the bottom.)
Roast these whole cardamoms until slightly puffy.
Roast them very lightly just enough to make crispy.
Once the cardamom pods are roasted, turn off the flame.
The roasted cardamom seeds would be highly fragrant.
The aromatic cardamom pods would have changed the colour.
Now, take them pan and spread them on a large plate.
You can also cool them properly by spreading them on a paper.
Let them cool for some time and come to room temperature.
You can prepare for grinding, till these seeds are cooled.
Once they come to normal temperature, you can begin to grind.

Note: While roasting the coriander seeds, you must not burn them.

Roast Cardamom Pods in Microwave Oven:

If you do not want to sun-dry the whole spices, then you can roast them in the pan or in the microwave oven. So, you may also roast the cardamom pods on pan/tava or in an oven. If you want to roast the cardamom seeds in the oven, then set at the oven to its lowest temperature.

The time for roasting the whole cardamoms in an oven will vary depending on the temperature range of microwave oven. To the cardamom pods in the microwave oven, firstly set the temperature. You can keep the temperature range anywhere between 50 degrees Celsius to 80 degrees Celsius.

Roast the cardamom pods a bit in the microwave just like you would warm griddle. Keep them in the oven till they are just about crisp. Once they are roasted, take the plate of cardamom seeds out and cool them a bit.

Note: You can also roast the cardamom pods in the microwave after you sun-dry them for one day. The temperature can vary from 122 degrees Fahrenheit to 194 Fahrenheit.

Grinding the Cardamom Powder:

Once the cardamom seeds are cooled, then proceed to grind pods to get a fine powder. After cooling of the whole cardamoms, begin to grind them in different batches.

Take Mixer-grinder jar and clean it with a dry cloth.
Add 1 cup cardamoms (Elaichi) in the jar.
You can add all at once or grind them in batches.
Add little amount of sugar in each batch.
Sugar will help to grind these roasted pods.
The sugar will ease the process of forming a smooth powder.
So, add 2 tsp. of sugar along with the roasted cardamoms.
Close the jar lid and run the mixer at the medium pace.
Start grinding the whole roasted cardamoms.
Grind it while the cardamoms pods are still warm.
Run the mixer for 2-3 minutes until they become a smooth powder.
While grinding, scrape the sides of the jar.
Add it back to the jar. Also, add more pods and continue grinding.
Grind until you get a semi-fine powder consistency.
After grinding, transfer the powder to a large plate.
Once ground, Sieve the powder through a fine sieve.
Transfer residual waste back or particles to the grinder.
Also, take the next batch of the whole cardamom seeds.
Grind all of them together. Similarly, finish with all cardamom.
Let the powder cool down because of the warmness of grinding.
Spread the powder on a plate to cool.
After cooling. Store the cardamom powder in an air-tight jar.

And the homemade cardamom powder is ready! You can use it when needed.

Note: If you are mixer grinder or jar is small, then grind the cardamom powder in small batches.

Additional Information:

Calories: 350 calories
Total Time: PT15M
Serves: 130 Grams
Date Published: 2017-03-05

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The ground cardamom is the crushed form of cardamom pods which is commonly available in the every Indian kitchen. The consistency of the grounded cardamom powder is very fine and smooth. To prepare the cardamom powder at home comes under the learning of the basics of the kitchen. It is very simple, easy and quick to crush the cardamom pods in the smooth powder.

The cardamom seeds or the cardamom powder is the common ingredient utilized in Indian cooking. Though the cardamom seed is considered to be the most expensive whole spice, it really is an essential element. It is one the best flavouring agents, especially for the sweets of the Indian Cuisines. It is an important ingredient for flavouring various sweets and dessert.

If you are often making sweets at home, then keep the homemade cardamom powder would be really handy. A dash of cardamom powder and it can fix the taste of your dish. A little bit of aromatic cardamom powder is enough to impart sweet flavours to the dish. It grants the aroma, flavour and fragrance to the dish which takes the taste of the dish to completely another level.

Remarks:

Store the prepared cardamom powder in a tight lidded airtight jar.
You can also keep the cardamom powder in the clean sterile container.
After cooling down, immediately store the cardamom powder into an air-tight jar.
Do not keep the cardamom put for a longer time.
Use a clean and dry spoon to transfer the cardamom powder.
Store the cardamom powder in cool and dry place.

Serving:

Ready to give your food a flavourful twist? Take a pinch of cardamom powder and add it to your dish. The simple and easy to prepare cardamom powder is used make cakes and cookies. It can be added to smoothies and ice creams. You can, of course, use it even in your day-to-day cooking as well. The homemade cardamom powder or the Elaichi powder can be used to flavour almost anything! Ready to use in your bakes, smoothies &cooking…!

You can use cardamom powder for baking and mix into spiced tea like masala chai. Turkish and Arabic coffee also get their aroma from cardamom; it’s a lovely spice to have on hand to dress up many a simple sweet concoction. You can also use the cardamom powder to make the delicious Fruit Custard.

Cardamom powder is widely used in Indian sweet dishes.
It can be added in the preparation of various ice creams.
It is also added in the most well-known sweet snack Paneer Kheer.
The cardamom can be sprinkled in various milk specialities like hot masala milk.
It is used as a traditional flavouring in coffee and Masala Chai
It is used to make various spice powders as well.
It adds flavour and aroma to many rice dishes.
Even the refresher like Lassi calls for the cardamom powder seasoning.
It can be added to various vegetables as well.
You can use it to prepare the other richly flavoured dishes.
The sweet snacks like Sweet Milk Poha also need the cardamom powder.
It can be sprinkled in the Punjabi gravy dishes like Matar Paneer Masala.

This flavourful cardamom powder instantly infuses the strong and delighting flavours in various sweets. It is widely used in the preparation of all kinds of Indian sweet dishes. It is used to flavour the sweets like Rabri, Sandesh and Barfi.

Quick Tip:

Refrain from preparing cardamom powder in bulk.
Do not store the cardamom powder for a longer time.
The stored ground cardamom will soon lose its flavours
The older it gets, the lesser aromatic it becomes.
Save in a small glass jar and keep it your pantry for everyday use.
If you seal the jar well, the powder will retain its fragrance for months.

The homemade cardamom powder recipe is not only very tasty and more flavourful than the store bought but also fresh and hygienic. If the stock of your cardamom powder is over, you can instantly prepare it in minutes. Though almost all the big supermarkets and the small shops sell the cardamom powder, but nothing can beat the freshness of the homemade cardamom powder. As it is very easy to prepare, you can make it anytime you feel the need of freshly ground cardamom powder.

Though the cardamom powder is exclusively used as a flavouring agent but it can also be eaten as a mouth refresher. It does add sweet flavours to your dish but it also acts a natural refreshment. Not just this, this small and tiny green cardamom pods have lots of health benefits. Its consumption in our diet can significantly affect the healthy and body. The top reason to add it in food is indeed the flavours but it is also added considering its health wise factors. Because of this Cardamom or Elaichi is tagged as the healthiest spice in the list of various healthy spices.

The preparation of almost all the Indian traditional sweets calls for adding the cardamom powder. It imparts a lovely sweet smell to these sweets. It infuses its own unique fragrance and makes the dish flavourful. This easy to make cardamom powder is used to making all different Indian curry dishes as well. The most important dish which you can make from this powder is the Cardamom Tea. If you have never tried making it at home before, then decide to make it at home instead of buying from the store.

It is very useful and helpful while making dishes which require heavy cooking. If your dish needs the cardamom powder, then you would have to crush the whole cardamom. For that, you might have to search for the mortar pestle or some heavy object. Then in the middle of your cooking, you have to get the cardamom pods and crush them. This leaves you in the panic situation and you might be wondering if you already had the cardamom powder.

So, you can always prepare some cardamom powder in advance and store in the air container. Then, you can use it whenever you require to add it. This makes the cooking fairly easy. One small jar of cardamom powder in your pantry can solve your various problem. As it goes it almost every other Indian dish, you do not have to worry about it getting spoiled if it remains used.

The process of preparing the cardamom powder is very easy. First, you have to crack the cardamom pods and then remove the seeds. Once you have removed the seeds, you have clean them and dry them. Then finally you can finely grind them. You can also crush the seeds coarsely. While you are using the whole cardamoms for the cooking, then the skin is discarded. But when you are crushing or grinding to the powder form, then you can also use the skin of cardamom seeds. So, converting the whole cardamoms into powder prevents the wastage and throwing off the cardamom powder.

Using the whole cardamom skin while grinding in the cardamom powder recipe is optional. You can use it or refrain from adding it to the powder. The removed skins can also be discarded or further added with the tea leaves. The addition of the cardamom skin infuses the faint fragrance and gives a little sweet aroma to the tea. If you are adding the cardamom skin in making the cardamom powder, then it would take a little longer time. To faster the process, it is advisable to add a spoon of sugar. Mixing the sugar along with cardamom pods helps to speed up the grinding process.

Also, combining the cardamom skin with the whole seeds also prevents the powder from becoming cake. This is more helpful when you are planning to prepare the cardamom powder in the bulk quantity. At this time, when you are crushing the cardamoms in slightly large quantity, then add the spice skin in the grinder or the mixer. At times, when you are making cardamom powder in the small quantity, you might face some struggle in grinding it. This is one such aromatic spice powder which is added to every other food and lots of Indian sweets. Take the whole cardamoms, remove the seeds, discard the skin and begin to grind.

To prepare the cardamom powder at home you would be a mixer jar. It must be completely clean and totally dry on the inside. Once the powdered is prepared, it can be stored at the room temperature or it can also be kept in the fridge. There is should be no trace of the moisture on the powder else it will stick.

How to Choose Whole Cardamoms:

If you are planning to make cardamom powder at home, then buy the fresh small green cardamoms. You must choose the greener cardamoms from the market. They have the best flavour and aroma as compared to other cardamoms. There are small packets of the cardamom available in various stores.

The whole cardamoms usually come in two main forms. The first is the pale and sage-green pods that contain few tiny seeds. These green coloured cardamom seeds are highly perfumed seeds. These are the one’s which are crushed for the preparation of the cardamom spice powder. The second type is bit larger and they are the black cardamom. These seeds are roasted to give the savoury taste to your curries. They are added to the dish to provide warmth and their heat.

If you want to make the cardamom powder which is adding in sweets and other baked dishes, buy the green cardamom seeds. They are delicate aroma and their own significant taste. So, just pick up the dozen of the green cardamom pods from the store. Choose the ones which are an only ¼ inch long.

Then get these seeds home. Carefully peel away their skin. The green coloured skin would be little dry and pale. Once you discard it, you would find the cardamom seeds. Peel the pointed side of the seed. You can also take some cardamoms and crush them with a spoon. If you use the mortar-pestle, then you can properly crush the whole cardamoms into the powder.

How to Select Cardamom Powder

If you do not want to make cardamom powder at home, then you can also buy it from the store. If you are going to buy the readymade cardamom powder, then be careful about the packet you select. Below mentioned below are some points to note before buying the readymade powder:

Choose the packet which is tightly-sealed
Check the fresh of the package
See the manufacturing and the expiry date
Small the packet and know if it aromatic
Avoid buying from the old stocks

How to Store Cardamom Powder:

The ground cardamom powder does not remain fresh and edible for a longer time. It tends to lose its flavour and aroma very soon. It is because its volatile oils begin to start releasing from it. Hence, it is advisable to prepare the cardamom powder in small quantities.

Once you prepare the cardamom powder, it is very important to store it correctly. Below mentioned are few points to store cardamom powder: