In some Middle Eastern countries , coffee and cardamom are often ground in a wooden mortar and cooked together in a mihbaz , an oven using wood or gas , to produce mixtures that are as much as forty percent cardamom . In some Middle Eastern countries , coffee and cardamom are often ground in a wooden mortar , a mihbaj , and cooked together in a skillet , a `` mehmas , '' over wood or gas , to produce mixtures that are as much as forty percent cardamom .