What is panch phoron?
পাঁচফোড়ন
The five-seed mix behind Bengali dal and veg.
The short answer
Panch phoron (পাঁচফোড়ন) means "five spices". It is a mix of five whole seeds used in Bengali, Bangladeshi and Odia cooking: fenugreek, nigella (kalonji), cumin, black mustard and fennel. The seeds are fried whole in hot oil at the start of cooking. This is called tempering, or phoron.
The five seeds
Most mixes use equal parts of each seed. Each one brings something different:
- Fenugreek (methi): slightly bitter, very savoury
- Nigella (kalonji): onion-like and a little smoky
- Cumin (jeera): warm and earthy
- Black mustard (rai): sharp and nutty once it pops
- Fennel (mouri): sweet and aniseed-like
What to cook with it
Panch phoron is for everyday home food, not for rich party dishes. It goes into masoor dal, mixed vegetable dishes like labra and chorchori, potato and pumpkin, fish curries and sweet tomato chutney.
Half a teaspoon is enough for a pot of dal for four. Too much fenugreek makes a dish bitter, so do not add more than the recipe says.
Mixing your own
Mix equal spoons of the five seeds and keep them in a jar with a tight lid, away from the cooker. Some families use less fenugreek, and some Bangladeshi kitchens use radhuni seeds in place of mustard. Whole seeds keep their flavour for months.
How to temper it
Follow it once, then cook it your way.
- Heat the oilOne or two spoons of oil in a pan. With mustard oil, heat it until it just starts to smoke, then lower the heat.
- Add the seedsHalf a teaspoon of panch phoron, and a dried red chilli or two if you like.
- Wait for the popAfter a few seconds the mustard seeds pop and the cumin darkens. Do not let it go longer, or the fenugreek turns bitter.
- Add the restPour in the cooked dal, or add the onions or vegetables straight away, and stir.
What to buy.
Everything on this list is on our shelves or at our counters. Tap a ticket to see the aisle.
Questions people ask.
- Is panch phoron the same as garam masala?
- No. Garam masala is usually ground and added near the end of cooking. Panch phoron is whole seeds fried in oil at the start.
- Should panch phoron be ground?
- Usually not. It is used whole. A few recipes dry-roast and grind it into a powder to sprinkle on at the end.
- Why does my dal taste bitter?
- The fenugreek seeds burned. Add the next ingredient as soon as the mustard seeds pop, and keep the heat medium.
- Where can I buy panch phoron in Dublin?
- World of Spices sells panch phoron ready mixed, with the Bangladeshi spices. You will find the single seeds in the spice aisle too.
Come and see us in store.
No online orders and no delivery. Everything is waiting on the shelves and at the counters in our shops in Dublin and Drogheda.