Himalayan Sukmel — Whole Green Cardamom (सुकमेल / हरियो अलैंची)

There is a moment in every good kitchen 
when cardamom enters the room. It is 
unmistakable — sweet, floral, faintly 
citrusy, with a cool eucalyptus edge 
that lifts everything around it. It is 
one of the most complex aromas in the 
entire spice world, and it comes from 
a pod no bigger than your thumbnail.

Sukmel — green cardamom in Nepali — is 
the world's third most expensive spice 
by weight, after saffron and vanilla. 
That price exists for good reason. Each 
pod is hand-harvested before it ripens, 
dried carefully to preserve its colour 
and volatile oils, and used in quantities 
so small that a single pod can perfume 
an entire dish. There is no synthetic 
substitute that comes close.

In Nepali and South Asian cooking, Sukmel 
is everywhere — brewed into chiya for its 
warming, digestive quality; ground into 
garam masala and biryani spice blends; 
crushed into kheer and mithai for its 
sweet floral note; and added whole to 
pulao and rice dishes. In Scandinavian 
baking, cardamom is the defining spice 
of cardamom buns and Christmas breads. 
In the Middle East it flavours coffee 
and tea. It is one of the few spices 
that belongs to every cuisine on earth.

RDK Organic House sources its Sukmel 
from organically grown Himalayan stock 
and packs the whole pods fresh in small 
batches in Kathmandu to ensure the full 
intensity of aroma reaches you.

Use whole pods in chiya, biryani, and 
rice dishes. Crack the pod and grind 
the seeds for baking, desserts, and 
masala blends — discard the husk. 
Add to coffee for a Nepali-style 
cardamom brew. Toast seeds lightly 
before grinding to deepen the flavour.

- 100% whole green cardamom pods (Sukmel)
- Organically sourced Himalayan stock
- Hand-packed in small batches
- No additives, no fillers
- Product of Nepal — by RDK Organic House,
  Kathmandu