Ajwain Leaf Pakoda | Sambarballi Bhajje

Last Updated on October 30, 2020 by Babita

Ajwain Leaf Pakoda is also known as Sambarballi Bhajje in Tulu and Kannada. This crispy fritter is made from the leaves of the Cuban Oregano Plant and is full of strong, unique aroma and flavor.

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Even though the name of this recipe is Ajwain Leaf Pakoda, this is not really an ajwain plant. This plant is actually Cuban Oregano. The taste of the leaves is very similar to ajwain (owa) and they also have similar medicinal properties. Cuban Oregano actually belongs to the mint family. Since this plant has a strong aroma of ajwain (ajowan caraway, bishop’s weed), it is routinely mistaken for the ajwain plant.

What does Cuban Oregano (Sambarballi Plant) look like

This is a picture of the plant that I am growing in a pot right now. As you can see, the leaves of Cuban Oregano (Sambarballi plant) are almost heart-shaped. They are fuzzy, succulent, and meaty. The weather is still pleasant, so I have placed it outside. Once the weather turns cold I will bring it inside. Cuban Oregano can be planted in the pot or directly in the soil.

Other Names of Cuban Oregano

Cuban Oregano has many different names. It is known as Sambarballi or Doddapatre. The other names for Cuban Oregano include Indian borage, Spanish thyme, and Mexican mint.

Ajwain Leaf Pakora is a crispy, savory fritter that tastes almost medicinal due to the nature of the oregano leaves. This recipe that I have is the simplest recipe you can make. I have kept the ingredients minimal because the oregano leaves have so much flavor in them that I did not want to mask them by adding unnecessary ingredients. The method to make this pakoda is also super easy. In case you do need help on how to make it, please check out the video in the recipe card.

Ingredients for Ajwain Leaf Pakoda (Sambarballe Bhajje)

• 15 whole ajwain/oregano leaves
• 3/4 cup chickpea flour (besan)
• 1/2 cup + 1 and 1/2 tbsp water
• salt as per taste
• oil for frying

How to Make the Ajwain Leaf Pakoda

• First, rinse the leaves under running water. Lay them over a paper towel to dry.
• In a mixing bowl, add chickpea flour and salt. Mix them. Add water gradually to make a smooth batter.
• Heat oil in a frying pan.
• Dip each leaf into the chickpea batter and carefully drop it off in the oil.
• Allow the pakoda to fry for a few seconds and then remove and drain on a paper towel.
• Repeat this process until all leaves have been used. At this point, the pakoda is still not done.
• The next step is to re-fry the pakodas again. Fry it this time until they turn golden brown (see my note below).

Useful tips to Make a Crispy Pakoda

• One of the ways you can make a pakoda crispy is to add baking soda. I, however, don’t like to use baking soda in the batter. For this reason, I do it as I mentioned below.
• Frying a pakoda or fritter the second time (like french fries) will give you a well cooked and crispy texture. The pakoda will be crispy on the outside and the ingredients inside will be soft and perfectly cooked.

For those of you who are not aware of chickpea flour; see the image below. Chickpea flour or besan as it is commonly known is the most popular ingredient used to make batter for a fritter in Indian cooking. You can find besan in any of the Indian stores. It is also available on Amazon. Recently I have also seen it sold in our local Walmart.

I hope you liked this recipe for Ajwain Leaf Pakoda (Sambarballi Bhajje). If you made it let me know. Also, don’t forget to check out the video if you need more help.