My Spices
Panch Phoron
It is an integral part of Bengali
cooking. However, Oriya (Orissa) food and Assamese food use panch phoron as
well. Panch is five in Bengali and Phoron is spices- -five spices/panch phoron
are mainly used for tempering the hot
oil with the flavor of the spices before adding rest of the ingredient. It is used mostly in vegetable and fish
dishes. My mother cooks a mutton dish
where she uses panch phoron. Panch phoron is usually used in whole form and dry
roasted and ground panch phoron is used in Shukto and some chutneys. I use a
lot of panch phoron for daily food, like masoor dal (yellow lentil), pan
meshali sobji (mixed vegetable Bengali style), alu bean bhaja (potato and bean stir-fry)
to name the few.
Ingredient:
1-tablespoon cumin/jeera1-tablespoon Nigella Seed/ Kalo jeera/Kalonji
1-tablespoon fenugreek/ methi
1-tablespoon fennel seed/mouri/ saunf
1-tablespoon black mustard seed/ shorshe/ rai
Mix all the price and tah dah, its ready! Store in an airtight jar.
1-tablespoon cumin seed
1-tablespoon coriander seed
¼-tablespoon fenugreek
½-tablespoon fennel
½ - tablespoon ground ginger
5 cloves
2 dry red chili (add more depending on your taste)
5 black paper corns
2 bay leaf
2-inch cinnamon
1-tablespoon turmeric powder
Keep the heat very low and use a
skillet. Place cumin seed, coriander seed, fenugreek, feel, cloves, dry red
chili, black paper corns, bay leaf, and cinnamon in the skillet. Dry roast them
slowing, shaking/ stirring the spices until they begin to pop and the aroma of
the spice comes alive. Careful not to burn so constantly stir.
Remove from the hot skillet so
that the heat of skillet does not burn the roasted spice. Add turmeric and
ginger powder.Pour into a dry blender or food
processor, or use a mortar and pestle. Grind into a fine powder. Pour into a
clean, dry jar, seal, and let it cool before using.
