Top 5 Carom Seed Substitutes for Flatbread and Dal

Dried thyme is the closest carom seed substitute for flavor, used one for one, because both are rich in the same aroma compound, thymol. When a recipe needs a whole seed that sizzles in hot oil, use cumin seeds instead. For tempering dal, three quarters of a teaspoon of cumin plus a quarter teaspoon of thyme gets closest.

What does carom seed taste like?

Strongly of thyme, with a sharp, slightly bitter bite. Carom seed, sold as ajwain in Indian shops, is a tiny ridged seed whose oil is rich in thymol, the same compound that gives thyme its smell.

Other names

Ajwain, ajowan, bishop's weed

Main aroma

Thymol, the compound behind thyme's smell

The bite

Sharp and a little bitter, numbing in large amounts

Usual form

Whole seeds, often crushed between the palms first

Usual jobs

Parathas, pakora batter, dal tempering, pickles and mathri

A little goes a long way.

Half a teaspoon flavors two cups of flour for flatbread. Raw carom tastes harsh and medicinal on its own, and it only turns pleasant once it meets heat or fat.

What copies ajwain's thyme-like smell or its seed?

Five things on an ordinary shelf stand in, and they split between those that copy the smell and those that copy the seed.

• Thyme: closest herbal aroma.
• Oregano and pepper: bitter bite without seeds.
• Cumin and fennel: whole-seed texture with a flavor shift.
• Nigella: tempering and bread texture first.

Dried thyme is the closest match for flavor. It shares the main aroma compound. In a curry or a filling most people will not notice the swap.

Cumin seeds are the answer when the recipe needs a whole seed that crackles in hot oil. They taste earthier, and that is the price of keeping the texture.

Why does thyme work so well?

Chemistry, since carom seed's oil and the oil of common thyme are both dominated by thymol, which is why the two smell almost the same when crushed.

The difference is intensity. Carom seed is sharper and more bitter, and it carries a slight numbing edge that thyme lacks.

A pinch of black pepper added to the thyme puts some of that bite back. Dried oregano works for the same reason. It also contains thymol along with its close relative carvacrol, and it brings a little more bitterness than thyme does.

Does your recipe need the seed or the smell?

That one question picks the substitute, since some recipes use carom for its aroma and others rely on the whole seed popping in oil or showing in the dough.

• It is ground or crushed into a fillingThe smell matters, so use dried thyme
• It crackles in hot oil at the startThe seed matters, so use cumin seeds
• It shows as specks on a flatbreadBoth matter, so use thyme in the dough and nigella on top
• It goes into pakora or bhaji batterThe smell matters, so use thyme, crushed between your palms
• It goes into a pickleUse nigella or a little fennel, since dried herbs go soggy in brine

Crushing the seeds matters with any substitute. Rubbing dried thyme or whole seeds between your palms breaks them open and releases the aroma, which is exactly what cooks do with carom itself.

Is ajwain the same as lovage or celery seed?

No, though the names get mixed up on packets. Ajwain is sometimes labeled lovage seed or bishop's weed in shops, and true lovage seed comes from a different plant that tastes of celery.

Celery seed is a fair emergency swap. It is a small, bitter seed like carom that holds up in tempering and pickles, though it tastes of celery rather than thyme. Use half the amount, since it is strong.

If a packet smells of thyme when crushed, it is ajwain whatever the label says.

What works in flatbread and batter?

Dried thyme, because the dough needs the aroma. The seed texture barely shows. Mix it into the flour before the water goes in.

• Rub first: crushing releases the aroma.
• Dry flour: spreads the herb evenly.
• Half a teaspoon: enough for two cups of flour.

Pakora batter is where carom does its best-known job. It sharpens the flavor of fried gram flour batter, and thyme copies that so well that the swap is hard to spot.

What works for tempering dal?

Cumin seeds, since tempering needs a whole seed that sizzles in hot ghee. Add a pinch of dried thyme at the very end for the aroma cumin lacks.

1. Heat the ghee or oilWarm two tablespoons over medium heat until it shimmers
2. Add the cumin seedsThey should sizzle at once and darken slightly within thirty seconds
3. Add any other whole spicesMustard seeds, dried chile or asafoetida go in now if the recipe lists them
4. Add a pinch of thyme lastStir it in for two or three seconds, just long enough to release its smell
5. Pour it over the dalPour the sizzling fat straight over the dal and stir it in at the table

• Cumin: sizzles and darkens in the fat.
• Thyme: added last and only briefly.
• Poured hot: the aroma reaches the table intact.

The thyme burns in seconds. Adding it with the cumin leaves black flecks and a bitter taste, which is why it goes in at the end.

Tadka or tempering follows the same order with any combination of spices, and the thyme trick works in each of them.

Can you combine two substitutes?

Often that gets closest, because no single ingredient does both of carom's jobs.

The pairing works because each half covers what the other misses. Cumin supplies the crunch and the sizzle, and thyme supplies the smell.

Keep the total amount close to the carom the recipe asked for. Doubling up on both halves is the common mistake. It makes a dish taste of cumin and herbs rather than of carom.

What if the paratha or dal tastes too herbal?

Most carom substitutes go wrong by being too strong or too herbal, and more of the plain dish fixes both.

• Too herbal or medicinalToo much thyme or oregano, fixed by more dough, batter or lentils
• Bitter black flecksDried herbs burned in hot oil, which only a fresh tempering fixes
• Tastes of cuminThe cumin swap is doing its job, and a pinch more thyme at the end balances it
• Sweet or anise-likeToo much fennel, which suits biscuits better than savory food
• Flat and dustyOld dried herbs, and a fresh jar or crushing them first brings the smell back

Carom's bitterness is part of its character. If a substitute tastes too soft, a tiny pinch more black pepper or a few extra nigella seeds put some edge back.

For the wider picture, the spice substitution guide covers how to replace any spice by the job it does.