How to Make Jwano Ko Jhol | Nepali Carom (Ajwain) Soup Recipe - Dipesh Dulal

Jwano ko Jhol is a household name for Nepalese, especially in the cold winter months, and also for women recovering through postpartum. This soup is also believed to subside the symptoms of indigestion and increase the amount of milk in nursing mothers.

The soup is basically the soup of ajwain (carom) seeds. It is not only beneficial against the common cold and many other ailments but is also considered something endemic to the taste buds of the majority of Nepalese. Nepalese in Nepal and in the diaspora are found literally shoveling the Jwano Ko Jhol from soup bowls, taking sips from the cups, or eating with rice.

As a Nepalese woman who additionally has been de facto in charge of the health of the family, my partner has been feeling more than proud to share her recipes for this blog. I hereby share her style of the recipe for making Jwano ko Jhol– a hot steaming soup of ajwain seeds.

Ingredients: butter (2 tsp.), turmeric (a quarter tsp.), salt (depends on taste), ajwain/carom seeds (2 tsp.), fenugreek seeds (only a few), cumin seeds powder (half tsp.), garlic paste (1 tsp.), ginger paste (half tsp.), rice flour (1 tsp.), water (2 cups)

Method:

1. Melt the butter/ghee in a fairly deep saucepan over medium heat.
2. Sauté fenugreek seeds and ajwain/carom seeds together with garlic paste and ginger paste until the brownish color forms. A homely aroma of roasted ajwain seeds already raises your mood! Stir the ingredients well and reduce the heat to low-medium to prevent darkening.
3. Add rice flour, turmeric, salt, and cumin seeds powder and continue stirring the ingredients over low-medium heat for a minute.
4. Add lukewarm water while whisking the mixture. I do this to prevent the rice flour from making flour balls.
5. Heat the mixture till it boils. Keep it boiling for a couple of minutes or 3. When the soup is ready, you can also add spring onions on top of the serving.

I had been living in Europe for significant years of my life. Hence, I feel for Nepalese in the diaspora too. If you are abroad and do not know where to find ajwain/carom seeds; I must say that you will definitely find them in Asian Shops in your city/town. In my case, I used to bring essential Indian masala in my luggage.

When there is a wish, there’s a way- Getting Ajwain Seeds (Jwano- Nepali Carom Seends) should not be a problem.

In my case, when I did not have even a mixer/grinder (You know struggle days!), I used belna chowki (roller and board) for making rice flour from wet rice.

I prepared rice flour by grinding wet rice on Belna and Chowki.

I hereby aim to help Nepalese who are learning to cook themselves especially when they start a new phase of relationships (family), and/or life in Nepal or abroad.

Jwano Ko Jhol in making.

I hope that you have learned how to make Jwano Ko Jhol by reading this blog.