Panch phoron
Spice
Top 10 pairings
Panch phoron is a whole-seed spice blend from eastern India and Bangladesh — its name means literally "five spices" in Bengali. Unlike most masalas it is never ground: equal parts of five whole seeds — fenugreek, nigella, cumin, black mustard and fennel — are kept intact and bloomed whole in hot oil so each seed pops and perfumes the fat.
Picking a good onedrag
Fresh whole seed, oily and loudFaded, dusty, smells of nothing
Sealed and fragrantEveryday jarThe working blend for shukto, charchari, dals, fish and pickles. Keep it airtight, dark and off the stove-top, and smell a pinch each time.
Crush and smellClearly seedy and warm once crushed; the fennel sweetness still arrives
Whole and unbrokenWhole seed, with a little dust settled in the bottom of the jar
The five seedsFive seeds in rough balance, and a label that lists them - mustard is a declared allergen
Feel and rattleFree-running, with a faint oiliness on the fingertips from nigella and mustard