Cardamom, Green Pods - Sukumel, Sano Sukumel, Sukmel - (सुकमेल, सानो सुकुमेल, सुकुमेल)

Cardamom, Green Pods - Sukumel, Sano Sukumel, Sukmel - (सुकमेल, सानो सुकुमेल, सुकुमेल)
The dried fruit of a perennial bushy plant of the ginger family, green cardamom pods are three-sided, smooth skinned, and contain reddish-brown seeds.  The seeds are sticky and have a highly aromatic flavor with a hint of eucalyptus.  Because of its high price, it is used sparingly.  When the recipe calls for whole cardamom, the pods are cracked leaving the seeds intact, adding a subtle flavor to dish.  Please see more description of this valuable spice in wikipedia.

Whole Green Cardamom Pods

Cardamom is one of the most important ingredients in Nepali sweets, and is also popular in meat and vegetable curries, sweet preserved pickles, and beverages.  It is also one of the ingredients used to make Nepali garam masala (spice mixture).  In the above picture, cardamom is used in freshly ground form, whole cardamom seeds, and just slightly cracked.

Cardamom seeds are also chewed after dinner or any time of the day to freshen the breath.