Lightly crack one whole Black Cardamom pod and add it early in cooking. Bloom it in oil or ghee with other whole spices, or drop it into a pot of rice, beans, broth, curry, chili, stew, or braising meat.
One pod is often enough for a family-sized pot. Remove it before serving, much as you would remove a bay leaf. For a stronger flavor, open the pod and grind a few seeds, but start very small.
Buck's current cardamom shelf includes El Salvadorian Green Cardamom Pods, Black Cardamom, White Cardamom / Bai Dou Kou, and Ethiopian Cardamom (Korarima). Green is the classic sweet/floral pod for chai, rice, baking, and sweets. Black is smoky, resinous, and savory. White cardamom is gentler and camphor-cooling, useful in Chinese, Southeast Asian, brothy, and lighter savory cooking. Ethiopian cardamom, also called korarima, is warm, rounded, and Ethiopian/Eritrean in character, especially good in berbere-style blends, spiced butter, stews, coffee, and long-cooked savory dishes.