#C4 Panch Phoron Plus One

ELEMENT SPICE COMPOUND #C4
Panch Phoron Plus One
Inspiration: Bengal

Panch Phoron (Bengali for five spice) is staple spice combination from Bengal. We add poppy seeds, another common ingredient in Bengali cooking, to lighten this slightly bitter spice combo (mustard, onion, nigella, cumin and fennel) for Western tastes. In this mix, we only crack the slightly, rather than grinding them. Place about 1 teaspoon of Panch Phoron in a skillet with butter/ghee, and heat until the seeds begin popping (a technique called bagar). Use this spice mix in any curry recipe, or simply use it to grill fish or vegetables. Click here for a good generic curry recipe.

INGREDIENTS: Yellow mustard seed, onion seed, fennel, nigella seed, cumin, poppy seed.