Panch Phoron is an Indian spice blend that is used to give a rich, aromatic flavor to dishes. The spices are usually ground and used to season vegetables and other ingredients such as chicken, fish, shrimp, lamb and eggs. It is most commonly used in curries, but can also be added to rice or other grains. It is a key ingredient in many Indo-Chinese dishes.
Panch phoron is a blend of five spices commonly used in cooking the cuisine of Bangladesh and the Indian subcontinent: whole mustard, black cumin, fenugreek, kalonji, and fennel seeds. It is particularly popular in Bengali cuisine.
Description
Panch phoron (Hindi: पंच फोर्ण; Bengali: পঞ্চ ফোর্ণ) is a spice mixture from the Indian subcontinent. It typically consists of five or six spices in equal quantities. The composition differs by region. Panch phoron can be made fresh and used immediately or dried for later use.
The name “panch phoron” derives from the Hindi words panch (“five”) and phoron (from the English word “furnace”). In Bengal, it is called “panchni phoran” (Bengali: পঞ্চ্ঞী ফোর্ণ) or “panchar kalo jeere” (B
First, pick up a bottle of Panch Phoron at your local grocery store. It will be available in the spice aisle and should cost around $5.00.
Second, you’ll need oil to fry the panch phoron with. Any type of vegetable oil will work well.
Third, you’ll need a pan to cook the spices in. A large non-stick skillet works best, but any heavy bottomed pan will also work.
Fourth, you’ll need some kind of food for the spices to flavor. The most common choice is chicken, but pork or beef work equally well.
Fifth, you’ll need a glass bowl and a frying thermometer. This is probably only available at a restaurant supply store, but it’s worth getting if you plan on cooking much Indian food at all.
Sixth, you can optionally add some oil to the dry spices before frying them in order to prevent sticking and burning.
Panch phoron are the five spices used in Bengali and Indo Chinese cuisine. This spice mix can be made at home or bought from supermarkets in Asian stores. The spices are usually ground together, rather than using them whole. The five ingredients are:
Coriander Seeds: পেঁচড়া
Fennel Seeds: বোড়ে ফেন্দ্র
Black Cumin: কুচমী
Peppercorns: কুচ
Nigella Seeds: নীল গুড়, or black onion seeds
The only reason to learn how to make great ethnic food at home is because you love that food and want to eat it more often. Panch phoron may be the greatest ethnic seasoning known to man. It is a spice mix that is used in every Indian dish, and its basic components are cumin, fenugreek, nigella seeds, black mustard seeds, and fennel seeds. But you don’t have to go to an Indian restaurant or buy a premixed version; you can make it yourself with any of the spices in your pantry. Panch phoron is a set of five spices that, like the name says, are mixed together equally. The name comes from the Hindi word panch for “five.” The word phoron comes from the Bengali word for pepper—pronounced “pawah” in Hindi—but it’s not really related to peppers.
Panch phoron is a spice blend used in Indian and Bengali cooking. It is not to be confused with the five spices Chinese cuisine uses, which are cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, star anise and Sichuan pepper. Panch phoron is made of whole cumin seeds, nigella seeds or kalonji, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds and fennel seeds.
Tying up the spices together in a muslin bag before drying helps to make them easier to use. Panch phoron should be stored in an airtight container away from sunlight as the spices can go rancid. It will keep indefinitely if stored properly.
If you do not have all the spices already available then a good substitute would be equal amounts of ground cumin (2 teaspoons), ground fenugreek (1 teaspoon), ground black mustard seed (1 teaspoon) and dried fenugreek leaves (1 teaspoon).
Panch phoron, also called Bengali five-spice, is a blend of five spices used in Indian cuisine. It is typically used with fish and meats, and sometimes with lentils or vegetables. The word panch means “five” and phoron comes from the word phoran, which means “to pound.”
Panch phoron can be added to any recipe. A basic mixture is equal parts of nigella seeds, whole cumin seeds, black mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and kalonji/nigella seeds. Other ingredients may be added to the mix such as bay leaves or asafetida.
