Panch phoron
A Bengali mix of five whole seeds, cumin, nigella, fennel, fenugreek and mustard, fried in oil.
Also: panch phoran, Bengali five spice, five-seed mix, panchphoron
Panch phoron means five spices. It is a whole-seed blend from eastern India, Bangladesh and Odisha: usually equal parts cumin, nigella, fennel, fenugreek and brown mustard, sometimes with radhuni or celery seed. It is never ground; the seeds are crackled in hot mustard oil as the first step in dal, vegetable dishes, fish curries and chutneys, flavouring the oil that carries the dish. The mix tastes of sweetness from fennel, bitterness from fenugreek and sharpness from mustard. Fenugreek in excess can overwhelm it, so cooks mind the proportions. It is the backbone of Bengali cooking and a clear example of tempering.