A small, sharp seed that tastes like thyme with the volume turned up.
In the pot
A pinch is the whole measure. Ajwain is used whole, dropped into hot ghee for a few seconds at the start of a tempering, or rubbed into dough for flatbreads. Ground ajwain is rare and rarely needed.
I work a quarter teaspoon of ajwain seeds into the dough for parathas when I know we will be eating later than usual. The bread does the work the body would otherwise have to do.
In the body
Ajwain is pungent and bitter, sharply heating, and it suits vata (the air constitution) and kapha (the earth and water constitution). Of all the spices in the drawer, this is the one most directly used for wind and a heavy stomach.
I reach for ajwain when a meal has not settled. Half a teaspoon of seeds chewed slowly with a few grains of salt, or steeped in hot water, is what I was taught at home.
