Ajwain Puris: Deepfried Indian Caraway Flatbreads

Puris are an Indian flatbread made by deep-frying dough in oil. They can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or even as a snack. Adding ajwain gives them a hearty and warm twist!

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Ajwain puris are quite delicious, and go well with potato bhaji or even shrikhand and amras. You can make quite a variety of puris by adding different ingredients. Have you ever tried beetroot puris, these are yum and a great way of getting your kids to eat beetroot. Or why not try our ajwain puri recipe below…

What is Ajwain? What Are The Other Names For Ajwain?

Ajwain is actually a fruit, not a seed, but is often called a seed because it looks like one. It is mainly found in India and Iran. Ajwain is also called ajowan, ova, bishop’s weed, thymol seeds, or carom seeds. Ajwain tastes sharp, pungent, and has a tinge of bitterness.

Why Add Ajwain to Puris?

Ajowan or ajwain is used to add flavor to food. It provides internal heat to the body, is anti-inflammatory, and also cures a number of diseases.

What Ingredients Do You Need to Make Ajwain Puri?

All you need to make ajwain puris is oil, salt, water, wheat flour, and ajwain aka carrom seeds, and also oil for frying.

How to make Ajwain Puris?

Mix the oil, salt, water, and wheat flour and knead into a dough. Also, add in the ajwain or carrom seeds. Add as much or as little water as needed to form a non-sticky firm dough.

Make small balls of the dough and roll them into puris. This is done by making flat circles like chapatis. Deep fry these puris in oil and when they are cooked remove them, try to drain out as much oil as possible, and place them on a thali with paper towels to drain any excess oil.

And that’s it, the warm puris are ready to serve!

Cooking Tips & Tricks

• Use powdered salt if you can to avoid getting any large chunks that don’t dissolve.
• You can also make larger size puris or circles and cut them into quarters like we do for our regular pooris.
• No, you can’t make them gluten-free.
• Roast the ova or ajwain before adding to the dough. This gives it more flavor.
• Use paper towels to drain the excess oil from the puris.
• You can also try to make beetroot puris.
• If you want a really cool dessert afterwards, serve it with some fruit salad.

Questions about Cooking Ajwain Puris

If I Cannot Find Ajowan, Can I Use Some Other Spice?

Yes, of course. You can use any spice in these puris. Just change the name of the puri by annotating the name of the spice you use. That’s how it works.

• If you use cumin (jeera in Hindi), call it jeera puris.
• If you use caraway (shah jeera in Hindi), call it shah jeera puris.
• If you use chili powder, call it masala puris.

How Long Can You Store Fried Puris?

You can store puris in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for about a week and almost six months in a freezer.

How Do I Make The Puris Softer?

To make softer puris, use yogurt or milk cream instead of oil.

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