Ajwain and Epazote – 2 Spices We Can’t Be Without!
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Ajwain and epazote are two spices that our bean-loving family couldn’t live without.
I’ve highlighted both of them in my post on How to De-Gas Beans, but here is more detail about them.
Ajwain is one of the spices mentioned in my post on Savory Hummus. It, along with epazote, helps with the digestion of beans.
Recently there has been a lot of attention paid to other cultures and their native ways of cooking. Just like there are some old wives’ tales that actually are true, there are a lot of cultural traditions surrounding foods that had better nutrition at the root of their existence.
I was introduced to ajwain a few years ago by a friend who is a master of all things spice and was the manager of a spice store at the time. I mentioned to her that we were eating a lot (emphasis on “lot”) of beans and that this was sometimes a source of digestive distress for our family. We were already soaking, draining, and rinsing our beans before cooking, but we were still having some undesirable effects of the high bean diet :-).
Ah yes, brings back memories of that old rhyme, “Beans, beans, the magical fruit…”
My friend said to try ajwain and epazote when cooking beans, adding them to the bean water after soaking and draining the beans.
What a difference! And you don’t need to use very much of either spice:
Ajwain
Use 1/4 teaspoon ajwain per 2 cups of cooked beans to the pot (1 cup dried beans yields approx 3 cups cooked).
I count the number of dried beans that I am using, multiply by 3 and then count off how many 1/4 teaspoon I need.
For example, if I am cooking 4 cups of dried beans, that will yield about 12 cups of cooked beans. So I will need 1/4 teaspoon x 6 or 1 1/2 teaspoons ajwain. To make it easy without calculating, I think, “OK. I am cooking 12 cups of beans so I count off 1/4 teaspoon of ajwain while dumping it into the pot and counting by 2 for each 1/4 teaspoon. For 12 cups that means I would add six quarter teaspoons of ajwain.
Epazote
For epazote, add approximately 1 tablespoon per 3 cups cooked beans or 1 cup dried beans.
You use more epazote in volume per pot of beans, but it weighs considerably less than the ajwain so the cost equals out a bit.
I tried to find out which spice works best for which kind of beans and I was not able to get consistent answers on this topic. I do find that epazote is more typically used in Mexican and Hispanic dishes and its flavor complements black, pinto, cranberry beans, and the like. Ajwain works well with, and its taste is well-suited to garbanzos (chickpeas), split peas, and lentils.
At first when we started to use these, we noticed a slight change in the flavor of the dish, but it truly is not strong at all.
Here are some photos of both for “illustrative purposes” :-):
Here is ajwain seed:
And here is epazote:
As for where to buy these, and for the answer to my reader’s question, they are available at many international groceries. Epazote is available at Starwest Botanicals. You can buy ajwain on Amazon. They have a wonderful selection of organic and herbal products. Penzeys is another purveyor of spices that carries both items, but I prefer the organic option.
More on spice resources in another posting…
Until then, enjoy the magical fruit without the toot — and Happy New Year!
Have you ever heard of ajwain or epazote?
I was able to get some epizote at an herb store when I visited the city. It looked much coarser and straw-like than your picture, Adrienne. The man in the store seemed quite surprised that it could be used to de-gas beans. He suggested making a tea from the herb and adding it to my dishes, e.g., chili. As, for the most part, I make my bean dishes with tinned beans, I tried a generous teaspoon full in about a 1/2 cup of boiling water. I rather liked the taste that it added and my husband mentioned twice how much he enjoyed the chili that night. Although both my husband and I did not seem to suffer from gas, we did notice a short-lived difference in elimination the next morning.
How interesting! All I can say is I heard it from a spice store manager and know that it is used traditionally in other cultures. Glad to have heard you were helped nonetheless!
Interesting!
I was reading more about epazote on the mountain rose site, and it doesn’t sound very appetizing. Scents range from citrus to gasoline? Aztecs translate the word to “smelly animal.” Poisonous in large quantities? um no thanks.
I mentioned in my post that its flavor is a little distinctive so I would only use it for dishes that aren’t going to be sweet ones. However, even nutmeg is poisonous in large quantities. So while I see your point, I wouldn’t not use it because of their description. Very unappetizing marketing though – wonder if they really sell much of it??? :-).
Savoury is said to have the same ability. However, I often use beans for sweet things as well as savoury, so I usually soak with a pinch of baking soda, rinse, and cook with another pinch of baking soda (after spooning off the foam) It bubbles quite a bit when you add the baking soda, so I imagine it is reacting with/releasing the gases? PS–In Little House on the pRarie they did their beans with baking soda, so this trick’s been around awhile!
What a neat bit of trivia about Little House :-). Yes, the beans work OK with ajwain for sweet dishes, but not with epazote.
Ajwain is easily available at any Indian grocery store, if you want to try it out without shipping costs, etc. It is regularly used in Indian cooking to help with digestion. For beans, I add grated ginger while cooking soaked beans- works very well to prevent gas!
Thanks for the tip, Deepa. I think there is an Indian grocery store near here, though I am not in a big city. I’ll have to check it out!
Thanks. I’ve seen a bit on blogs about not using dairy to soak anymore, so I’ll look forward to your post. I just stumbled on your other post about beans–there are some interesting ideas: boiling for 8 min., adding baking soda etc. I wonder if those work as well. I usually soak mine over night w/ lemon juice, but we still sometimes have issues.
I have never tried the baking soda, but I can tell you that what I have outlined certainly works. Let me know what you think!
Avoid baking soda. The tiniest amount will give your beans a slimy texture and a soapy taste.
Okay…so I don’t have to soak my beans in lemon juice or whey or something anymore if I use the herbs?
And…I usually cook my beans in the crock pot and then drain off the water. So I just add one of the spices at the beginning of the cooking time?
I’m feeling a little dense! 🙂
Hi Beth –
You are not dense :). You do not need the acid medium regardless. In fact, there is now evidence that you don’t need it for grains either. I hope to post on this soon. I add the spices when I put the cold beans in the pot.
Let me know if you need more info!
Adrienne, I’m looking forward to reading more about soaking/not needing the acid medium.
I’ll try to get to it – I need to watch my pace, but I look forward to sharing!
I never add any acidic ingredient such as tomatos,vinegar or lemon juice to beans until they are fully cooked. I’ve found it inhibits them from softening. In fact, if you add a base such as a pinch of aluminum free baking soda to the water when you soak them and another pinch to the cooking water, it will asure that they do soften, even if they are old (if you’ve ever tried to cook beans that are very old, you’ll know what I mean). I once cooked old beans all day and they wouldn’t soften, then I added a tsp of baking soda and cooked a bit more and they softened right up. If you add baking soda to the beans as they cook you may need to decrease the amount of salt that you add.
Thanks – I dont think there is al free soda anymore. Not sure but BRM has changed their labeling. Does the baking soda really help the beans cook faster if they are old? We have issues these days w/ beans taking too long. Thanks!
do you use the ajwain seed or powder form? it’s hard stuff to find and I want to make sure I get it right 🙂
Andi, I use the seed form. I am thinking that the powder would work as well, but I have never tried it.
The 3/4 tsp and 1 tbs – is that per 2-3 cups of cooked or uncooked beans? Thanks!
Sarah, I just redid the calculations in the post and the explanation Let me know if that helps! It’s a bit confusing and I can try to write it out better if need be :-).
Thank you SO much for sharing this! I’d never heard of either of them. And I love Mountain Rose Herbs!!
~Karen
Just to be sure that I got this right. We just need to use on of the spices – right?
Ciao,
Pavil
Yes, just choose one or the other — not both.