Panch Phoron Tarkari | Mixed Vegetable Curry with Five Spices
Panch Phoron Tarkari, a mixed vegetable curry made with a unique and flavorful five-spice masala blend is delicious! One of the easiest tarkari or curry to make with assorted vegetables of your choice. Takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish!
Panch phoran or panch phoron, is an Indian blend of whole spices made with five different spices mixed together. One of the easiest spice blends to make as there is no roasting or processing involved.
We just combine the spices and store them in an airtight container to use. Unlike many Indian spice blends, where they are ground and in powder form, this one has a blend of spices in its whole form.
This panch phoran spice blend is very popular in Eastern Indian states like Assam, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, and Orissa and in the neighboring Nepal and Bangladesh regions.
The five spices are - Mustard seeds, Nigella seeds, Fenugreek seeds, Cumin seeds and fennel seeds. The spices are mixed in equal quantities and then stored.
The panch phoron tarkari is a vegetable curry made with this blend of five spices. Choosing the vegetables to make the curry is totally up to one's preferences.
I made this dish predominantly with butternut squash. Our vegetable garden has been very generous and we have been having a good yield of vegetables. I used one of the first squash that we harvested from the garden to make this curry today.
One other unique thing in the recipe is that we use a little milk when cooking the vegetables. The milk adds a mild richness and also a sweetness that works very well with the panch phoron.
Why make this tarkari?
- Quick and easy - I love making quick and easy curries for weeknight dinners. This is one of the best recipes to make under 30 minutes.
- The best recipe to use garden fresh vegetables - This panch phoron tarkari does not need a specific vegetable. We can make it with any vegetables that we have in hand.
- Unique - The spice blend is very unique and versatile at the same time. Try it once and start using the spice blend in different recipes.
- Lunch box friendly - I love packing this mixed vegetable tarkari in lunch boxes. It works great with rice or roti.
Ingredients needed
Check the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact measurements and printable detailed recipes.
To make the Panch Phoron spice blend - We could either make enough for just one time or mix a larger quantity and store it in the pantry. I make a larger batch by combining equal measurements of all the spices, so it is readily available when cooking.
- Mustard seeds
- Nigella seeds
- Fenugreek seeds
- Cumin seeds
- Fennel seeds
For the Curry -
Vegetables - I have used butternut squash, potato, and bell pepper to make my tarkari today. We could use carrots, peas, cauliflower, beans, or any assorted vegetable of our choice.
Panch Phoran spice - Use about 2 teaspoons of the spice blend.
Other spices - We need bay leaf, turmeric powder, red chilies, and green chilies along with salt. If you don't want to use two different chilies, just use all dry red chilies or all green chilies.
Milk - We cook vegetables in little milk. If making it vegan, use coconut milk instead of regular dairy milk.
Oil - Use any cooking oil. I used olive oil to make my curry today.
Sugar - We add a little sugar to the recipe. It is completely optional and can be skipped.
Step-by-step process
- Make the panch phoran spice blend - Combine all the above-mentioned spice blend and keep it aside. If making just for this one recipe, use about ½ teaspoon of each spice and combine.
- Prep - Peel the butternut squash and potatoes and chop them into 1-inch cubes. Wash and chop the bell peppers into 1-inch cubes as well.
- In a wide pan, heat the oil and add the panch phoron spice blend, bay leaves, and red chilies.
- Fry the spices until they are aromatic and then add the prepped vegetables.
- Add the turmeric powder, green chilies, salt, and sugar, and mix well.
- Now add the milk and cook the vegetables until they are soft and all the liquid has been absorbed.
- Serve the Panch Phoron Tarkari hot with rice or parathas!
Expert Tips
- Have all the ingredients chopped and prepped for a quick cooking process.
- Use any blend of vegetables of your choice to change the flavors.
- Make a larger batch of panch phoran spice blend to use whenever needed.
- This is a dry curry with not much gravy. If you like to make it with a little more gravy, adjust the consistency by adding more milk or water.
- Adjust the green chilies as per your spice tolerance. The red and green chilies are the only way we add heat to the dish.
Frequently asked questions
We could serve this mixed vegetable curry with rice or roti. When serving it as a meal, I usually pair it with some light dal like this Dali Thoy or Mango dal.
We could use carrots, beans, cauliflower, and green peas along with the already mentioned bell pepper, potato, and pumpkin.
Panch phoran is a unique blend of spices from Northeastern Indian cuisine. You could skip one or two of the five spices and use them. The flavor will be different with each of the whole spices we skip or add.
More recipes with Panch Phoran spice
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Recipe
Panch Phoron Tarkari | Mixed Vegetable Curry with Five Spices
Equipment
- pan
- bowl
- spatula
Ingredients
For Panch Phoron -
- ½ teaspoon Mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon Nigella seeds
- ½ teaspoon Fenugreek seeds
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon Fennel seeds
For the Tarkari -
- 3 cups Butternut squash chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 2 Potatoes Peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 1 Bell pepper chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 2 Dry red chilies
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- Panch Phoron About 2 teaspoon from the blend
- 2 Bay leaves
- 2 Green chilies sliced lengthwise
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 4 tablespoon Milk
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- to taste Salt
Instructions
- Make the panch phoran spice blend - Combine all the above-mentioned spice blend and keep it aside. If making just for this one recipe, use about ½ teaspoon of each spice and combine.½ teaspoon Mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon Nigella seeds, ½ teaspoon Fenugreek seeds, ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon Fennel seeds
- Prep - Peel the butternut squash and potatoes and chop them into 1-inch cubes. Wash and chop the bell peppers into 1-inch cubes as well.
- In a wide pan, heat the oil and add the panch phoron spice blend (about 2 teaspoon), bay leaves, and red chilies.2 Dry red chilies, 2 tablespoon Oil, Panch Phoron, 2 Bay leaves
- Fry the spices until they are aromatic and then add the prepped vegetables.3 cups Butternut squash, 2 Potatoes, 1 Bell pepper
- Add the turmeric powder, green chilies, salt, and sugar and mix well.2 Green chilies, ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder, to taste Salt, 1 teaspoon Sugar
- Now add the milk and cook the vegetables until they are soft and all the liquid has been absorbed.4 tablespoon Milk
- Serve the Panch Phoron Tarkari hot with rice or parathas!
Thanks for the recipe looks so yummy. Thanks
Thank you! Glad you like it.
I made this for the family tonight and they raved about the flavors! I loved how easy it was to make it for them. Adding this to our menu rotation!
I bought a butternut squash and didn't really have a plan to using it. This recipe was so flavorful and filling!