Spice
Ajwain
अजवाइन
Also called carom seeds, ajowan, bishop's weed, omum, Trachyspermum ammi
Small, ridged, grey-brown seeds of a plant in the cumin and parsley family. They look like a smaller, paler cumin seed and are used whole and sparingly, because they are strong.
Origin
Grown mainly in Rajasthan and Gujarat, and in Iran, Afghanistan and Egypt. It is a North Indian and Pakistani pantry staple and is used much less in the south.
Flavour
Sharp and herbal, like a very concentrated thyme, with a bitter edge and a faint numbing heat. That is thymol, the same compound that gives thyme its smell. Raw it is harsh; cooked in dough or hot oil it mellows.
How to use it
Rub it between your palms over the bowl to crack the seeds, then add it to samosa and paratha dough, pakora batter, or a tempering for dal and fried fish. Half a teaspoon is plenty for a batch. More turns bitter.
Storage
Whole seeds keep a year in a sealed jar away from light and heat. Ground ajwain loses its smell within weeks, so buy it whole.
Recipes using it
Samosa
समोसा
Punjabi samosa: a short, ajwain-scented pastry folded into a cone around spiced potato and peas, fried slowly until blistered and crisp.
MediumMedium heat
Paneer tikka
पनीर टिक्का
Cubes of paneer, onion and pepper marinated in thick spiced yoghurt and toasted gram flour, skewered and charred under a very hot grill.
EasyMedium heat
Onion pakora
प्याज़ के पकौड़े
Sliced onion salted until it weeps, bound with gram flour, rice flour, chilli and ajwain in its own juice, and fried in loose, crisp clumps.
EasyMedium heat
