Sarah,
I don't see anywhere in your recipe that you either strain out the whole spices or grind them up. Do you just leave them in whole? How do you eat around them, then? Whole cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods would be kind of interesting to chew on.
Just wondering if a step was left out. Otherwise, the recipe looks great! Most Indian recipes that I know (now, I'm a fan and love to cook it at home, but am not Indian), have the spices roasted in a dry pan, then ground before actually using. I've never seen them left in whole, so it just seems odd to me, that's all. Thanks!