Panch Puran

Panch Puran is a five-seed spice blend used across Eastern South Asia, especially in Bangladeshi and Indian cooking. The name means 'five spices', and the mix is made entirely of whole seeds, so it rattles rather than clumps and smells faintly of aniseed and onion until it hits hot fat.

It combines fennel, fenugreek, nigella, cumin and black mustard seeds. Fennel adds mild sweetness, fenugreek a slightly bitter nutty edge, nigella an onion-like sharpness, cumin warm earthiness and black mustard a pungent, spicy bite. Balanced and fragrant, it is a staple for anyone recreating Bangladeshi or Indian home cooking.

How to use it

Panch Puran is tempered in hot oil to unlock its flavour, then used for lentils, vegetables, curries, fish dishes and traditional stews. It also works as a dry rub for meats and goes into homemade pickles. Use a teaspoon for a pot of dal for four. The technique tip: heat the oil until a single mustard seed pops, add the whole spoonful at once and wait for the popping to slow, about fifteen seconds, then pour it over the dish. Fenugreek turns bitter if it darkens, so move fast.

Details

Also known as

Panch Phoron, Pancha Phutana, بانش بوران