Kalonji used in food recipes

Unlike Kalonji’s (Caraway’s) several benefits in preventing and curing various diseases, kalonji seeds and kalonji oil are popularly used in food recipes as an important spice not only in India and Pakistan but also in the Middle East. In Middle East countries, Hummus cooked with chicken-peas or other beans includes in it a spoonful of Kalonji as a spice. Hummus is popularly relished not only by local residents but also by other immigrants. Kalonji is also an important ingredient used in pickle (known as Achaar in India and Pakistan) especially the pickle of mango, lemon, green chillies. Kalonji is also said to be used for preserving expensive clothing from insect damage.

“Known as Kalonji in Hindi and Kalo jeera in Bengali, Nigella is used in India and the Middle East as a spice and condiment and occasionally in Europe as both a pepper substitute and a spice. It is widely used in Indian cuisines for its smoky, pungent aroma.

A very simple recipe with Nigella seeds is the Alu-Charchari, a quick stir fry of potatoes.

Some of the recipes I have blogged where Kalonji is used for tempering are:
Piyajkolir Tarkari
Fish Curry on a Winter Noon
Musuri'r Dal with Kalonji
Shorshe Dharosh or Okra in Mustard Sauce
Doi-Ilish
My Spice

Following are Jeenas recipes using Kalonji Seeds. The Website of Jeenas contains, in addition, contains delicious and dainty dishes and will benefit a lot for the food lovers.

Chicken Biryani Recipe
Arabic Beef Rice Recipe
Roasted Vegetables Recipe
Lamb Keema Bulgar Wheat
Jeenas blog also mentions varied health benefits of Kalonji reproduced below:

Kalonji seeds have been know to have many healing properties including migraine, chronic colds, palpitations, alopecia, asthma, bee stings, paralysis, amnesia, skin disorders, facial palsy, earache and respiratory diseases.

Kalonji is also known to benefit the stomach due to anti-bacterial properties

Cold pressed Kalonji oil can help with dry skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis and has benefits to the scalps and joints through massage.

Kalonji seeds are an expectorant.

They are also known to be beneficial for respiratory problems and are anti-inflammatory.:

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