Ajwain

Ajwain or Ajowan caraway, better known as carom seed in the western cuisines, is a tiny yellowish roughly oval seed of the carom plant widely used in the Indian and Western Asian cuisines in small quantities as a spice in some dishes. The plant to which the seeds belong is also called Ajwain. The strong pungency of these seeds, which bear a resemblance to thyme or caraway seeds, also commonly known as Bishops Weed (which is a misnomer for the food item) limits their extensive usage in quantity in the dishes in which it is used and also in the number of recipes in which it can be included. Ajwain dishes can be consumed without any restrictions by people suffering from digestive problems as the spice is known to be a powerful digestive aid. Popular ajwain recipes include pakoras( fried gram-flour snacks made including ajwain as one of the ingredients), as a tempering ingredient in Indian accompaniment dishes like dals and some vegetables, Indian breads (rotis and parathas) and a lot of region-specific dishes.

 

Discovery of Ajowan Caraway

Ajwain, though used to a large extent by the Indian cuisine in the times, it was actually discovered first in Egypt and Middle Eastern countries where it was used by the Iranian, and Afghan cuisines and at times in the berbere recipes. The Rajasthani and Gujrati Indian cuisines are known to make good use of the spice in comparison to the other cuisines of the country. The spice is also used quite extensively by other cuisines of the Indian subcontinent.

 

Culinary Uses of Carom Seeds

Ajwain is used in the Indian cuisine for making a number of main course, accompaniment and snack dishes. It is also an important ingredient of digestive preparations, which may be appetizer drinks( made in combination with cumin which is another well acclaimed digestive aid) or dry mixes meant to be eaten in small quantities with cooked rice as a first course during meal time.

 

Popular Ajwain Recipes

Ajwain is used in most of the Indian cuisines. Some popular Ajwain dishes are prepared as shown:

 

  • Ajwain parathas and rotis – These are Indian breads containing carom seeds. Roasted or fried ajowan caraway seeds are mixed with wheat flour, salt and other spices (optional) to make the dough for the bread. The dough is rolled out into thin and round or triangular discs and fried on a pan (called a tawa) with some oil, butter or ghee( clarified butter). These breads are served with suitable chutneys. The bishop weed is also used in crunchy Gujrati snacks called khakras which are different from the rotis and parathas in that they are crisp and brittle.

 

  • Ajwain Bhajias – these are fried snacks made with ajwai leaves. Ajwain recipes use the cooked leaves. The leaves may be steamed and then shredded and mixed in the bhajia batter made of gram flour) with other seasonings and condiments like salt, cumin, and chili powder. The batter is fried in hot oil in small amounts which result in crispy golden brown irregularly shaped masses called bhajia. Ajwain is a recommended ingredient for deep-fried foods as it aids in digesting them.

 

  • Ajwain Accompaniments- There are many ajwain dishes that are served as accompaniments. Dals and vegetables are seasoned with an oily mixture of carom seeds and served as accompaniments to rice or roti. Roasted ajwain is also used as a garnish for salads mixed with a little salt. Ajwain has always been an essential ingredient of many Indian spice mixtures prepared from the health perspective. For example, Ajowan caraway is one of the ingredients of the Bengali spice mixture, Panch Phoron which is used for seasoning the innumerable accompaniment dishes of the cuisine.

 

  • Ajwain Appetizer Drinks – Ajwain is combined with lemon juice, buttermilk, or just plain water with salt and cumin and consumed as a refreshingly appetizing drink. Ajwain potions are administered to people suffering from digestive problems.

 

  • Ajwain mouth fresheners – A number of Indian mouth freshener mixes are made by combining ajwain with other ingredients like fennel seeds, dry coconut, powdered mint seeds, and dill seeds. The mix is typically consumed after a heavy meal to aid in its digestion.

 

  • Ajwain rice – A pinch of ajwain when added to rice serves to enhance its flavor.

 

Health Benefits of Carom Seeds

Ajwain is mainly consumed for its medicinal properties. It is used as whole seeds, in the crushed or powdered forms and in roasted, fried or raw form, mostly in combination with other ingredients as a dry or wet solid preparation or a liquid to cure, prevent or alleviate certain diseases. Apart from being a good digestive aid, the Ajowan seed is used in a number of natural medications prepared for treating toothache, earache, asthma, bronchitis, foul breath, cough and sore throat.