Curry Powders and Blends
Sri Lankan Five Spice Mix
The five whole spices a temper starts with, measured out and ready for the pan.
- Whole seeds, because tempering needs them whole
- Five spices in the proportion a temper wants
- One scoop rather than five jars on the counter
- Keeps two years, unlike a ground blend
- No chilli, so the heat stays yours to set
Available to pre-orderSKU: CC-BLD-FIV
Size: 100g
- Carefully packed and shipped to your door
- 14-day replacement on damaged items
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Description
Mustard seed, cumin, fennel, fenugreek and black onion seed, whole and mixed in the proportion a Sri Lankan temper wants. Also called panch phoron across the region, this is the handful that goes into hot oil at the very start, before anything else happens in the pot.
Nearly every Sri Lankan dish begins the same way. Oil in a pan, whole spices in, and thirty seconds of popping and spitting before the onion goes anywhere near it. That step is the temper, and it is the difference between a curry that tastes flat and one that does not.
The five here are whole rather than ground on purpose. Whole seed pops, blooms and releases its oil in hot fat. Ground spice at that stage just burns and turns bitter.
Fenugreek is the one to watch. It is the bitterest of the five and it browns faster than the rest, so keep the heat moderate and get the onion in before it goes dark.
How to Use
- Heat oil, add a teaspoon and wait for the mustard to pop
- Temper a dhal at the end and pour it over
- Start a vegetable curry with it before the onion
- Toast and grind a little into a dry rub
Cook with It
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Frequently Asked
Whole spices dropped into hot oil so they pop and release their oil into the fat, which then carries that flavour through the whole dish. It takes under a minute and it is the step that separates a Sri Lankan curry from a stew with spices stirred into it.
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