Paanch Phoran
By Petrina Verma Sarkar, indianfood.about.com

This uniquely Bengali (east Indian) spice mix is used to season many dishes. It is a blend of five spices and lends a lovely aroma when added to a dish. Panch means "five" and phoron is "flavour" or "spice", hence the common translation Bengali Five-Spice".

Panch phoron is usually fried in oil or ghee before adding anything else to the pot, flavouring the oil and releasing the aroma of the oils in the seeds and causing them to pop in the pan. Other ingredients are added at this point, the mixture adding sweetness and bringing forward the flavours of vegetables, beef, fish or lentils.

• Cumin seeds
• Fennel seeds
• Nigella seeds
• Fenugreek seeds
• Mustard seeds

Mix all the above in equal quantities and store in an airtight container