A Simple Churna for the Table: A Spice Sprinkle to Make at Home

In Sanskrit, churna simply means a fine powder. Ayurvedic pharmacies sell many churnas, some of them strong herbal medicines. This page is about something much gentler: a mild, savoury spice blend to keep in a small jar on the table and sprinkle over food, the way other kitchens keep a pepper mill or a shaker of dukkah.

It is a seasoning. It is not a medicine, it is not one of the classical formulations, and nothing here claims it treats or prevents any condition. For medicinal churnas, a registered Ayurvedic practitioner is the right person to ask.

The recipe at a glance

• Time: 10 minutes.
• Makes: about 8 tablespoons (roughly 50 g), a month’s supply for one household.
• Equipment: a dry frying pan, a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, and a clean dry jar.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons cumin seeds (about 18 g)
• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds (about 10 g)
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds (about 6 g)
• 1 teaspoon ajwain (carom) seeds (about 2 g)
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns (about 2.5 g), or less for a milder blend
• 1 to 2 teaspoons rock salt or ordinary salt (5 to 10 g), kept low
• A pinch of asafoetida (hing), optional
• Optional: half a teaspoon dried ginger powder

Method

1. Warm a dry frying pan over a low to medium heat. Roast the cumin and coriander seeds together, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Tip them onto a plate.
2. Roast the fennel, ajwain and peppercorns for 30 to 45 seconds each. They burn quickly, and burnt seeds taste bitter, so tip them out as soon as they smell sweet.
3. Let everything cool completely. Warm spices ground in a grinder form a damp clump.
4. Grind the cooled seeds to a fairly fine powder. A coarse texture is fine for sprinkling.
5. Mix in the salt, the hing and the dried ginger if you are using them.
6. Pour into a clean, dry jar with a tight lid. Keep it in a cool, dark cupboard and use within about a month, since the aroma fades with time.

The classic way to use it is a pinch, about a quarter teaspoon, over a bowl of rice and dal, a salad of cooked vegetables, a glass of takra, or fruit. More is not better: a table churna is a seasoning, and a quarter teaspoon is plenty.

Adjusting the blend

• Milder. Leave out the pepper and ajwain, and the mix is mostly sweet and aromatic.
• Cooler. Use more coriander and fennel, less cumin, and no ginger or pepper.
• Salt-free. Skip the salt completely and add salt at the table. This is the best choice for anyone watching their sodium.
• Whole-seed version. Keep the seeds whole and roast them lightly, then crush at the table.

The Ayurvedic reading (traditional)

Powdered mixtures of spices taken with meals are an old part of Indian household custom. The tradition thinks of spices as ways of making food more digestible, and a table sprinkle is a convenient way of adding them to each plate. The page on spices in the Ayurvedic kitchen describes that idea in general, and the pages on cumin, coriander, fennel, ajwain and black pepper give each spice’s traditional profile.

In that reading, cumin is mildly warming, coriander is cooling and fennel is sweet and even, which is why the three are so often combined. Ajwain and black pepper are pungent and heating, and are traditionally used in small amounts with heavy foods such as pulses. Teachers describe the group together as supporting agni, the digestive fire, which is the kind of language the tradition uses and not a laboratory claim. Salt is a taste in its own right (see the six tastes) and is described as appetite-stimulating in small amounts and unhelpful in excess.

Like the CCF tea, the blend is a recent household combination made from traditional ingredients, and not a named classical formula. It is best treated as a modern table seasoning in the Indian spirit. You can read how the same three seeds are used in a drink on the page for CCF tea.

On the doshas, the blend is described as mild enough for most people, and teachers advise pitta types to go lightly on the ajwain and pepper, while vata and kapha types can use a little more. Traditionally spices are taken with food and not alone on an empty stomach, a point made in meal timing.

What modern research says

Cumin, coriander, fennel, ajwain and pepper are common culinary spices. Research on each is limited and mostly uses concentrated extracts or animal and laboratory studies, which says little about a quarter teaspoon of spice on a meal. There is no good evidence that a spice sprinkle improves digestion. Its practical benefit is flavour, which can let you use less salt, and that is a real one.

Who should be careful

• Allergy. Cumin, coriander, fennel and ajwain all belong to the carrot family. If you are allergic to celery, carrot, parsley or similar plants, you may react.
• Salt. If you have high blood pressure, heart or kidney disease, or have been told to cut sodium, leave the salt out of the jar.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding. Spices in food amounts are ordinary, but ajwain and fennel in larger amounts have not been well studied. Ask your doctor or midwife before using more than a pinch.
• Reflux, ulcers and gastritis. Pepper, ajwain and ginger may irritate. Skip them if they bring on symptoms.
• Medicines. Pepper and ginger are discussed in relation to how some medicines act. A pinch is a food amount. Ask your pharmacist if you take blood thinners, diabetes medicines or medicines with narrow dosing.
• Children. Use very little for young children, and none of the pepper or hing for babies.
• Shop-bought churnas. Commercial digestive churnas can contain much stronger herbs such as licorice or laxative plants, or large amounts of salt. If you buy one, read the label, and ask your pharmacist or an Ayurvedic practitioner. Licorice in particular can raise blood pressure and is advised against in pregnancy.
• Hygiene and storage. Use a clean, dry spoon, and discard the blend if it gets damp or smells musty.

This recipe is general education, not medical advice. Please read the medical disclaimer, see a doctor about any health concern, and a registered Ayurvedic practitioner (BAMS in India) if you want Ayurvedic treatment.

Frequently asked questions