ul. Recipes that call for cardamom usually intend for you to use green cardamom, named for the green pods that encase the seeds. Some producers bleach the green hulls to a pale tan, but this makes them less aromatic.Brown cardamomis a similar spice that Indians use in savory dishes.Equivalents: One pod yields 1/6 teaspoon cardamom. Substitutes: brown cardamomorequal parts ground nutmeg and cinnamonorequal parts ground cloves and cinnamonornutmegorcinnamon