The velvety thick green leaves of this unique perennial give off a herbal smell that’s hard to resist. Just like tulsi, this plant can be easily grown in pots and can be seen in almost all homes in India. At Solitude we love growing this plant as one of our chief herbs and we use it liberally in our food. Called Karpuravalli in Tamil, the leathery leaves when pressed between fingers give off an intense caraway-like smell which perhaps is the reason it’s called Ajwain patta by many in Hindi. This herb is not related to the real ajwain (caraway) plant. This medicinal plant is used as a home remedy to treat fever even today but very few use it as an ingredient while cooking.

At Solitude we make Karpuravalli Bhajji (fritters/pakora) using a very simple recipe:

• Grab a hand full of karpuravalli leaves, wash them and keep them aside
• Take 1 cup chickpea flour and add salt, caraway seeds, chilly powder and coriander powder to it
• Add half a cup of water and mix it well. Add more water if needed to make a fritter batter
• Take two karpuravalli leaves together, dip them in the batter and deep fry in oil till golden
• Repeat the process for remaining leaves, deep fry all and sieve them out on a paper towel
• Sprinkle a pinch of chaat masala to the fried fritters and serve hot with ketchup

The next time you make fritters at home, add a few of these Karpuravalli fritters to the mix or chop the leaves and add them to the batter to get a distinct flavour and goodness in your palate. A quick and delicious street food that few can resist!