The spice drawer

This is a quintessentially Bengali go-to spice blend for sauteeing vegetables or adding as a flavor bomb to your soups. Like the Bengali garam masala, every family has their own version of this whole spices blend of fennel, fenugreek, nigella, cumin and mustard seeds by varying their proportions. I like mine with a lot of fennel and nigella seeds. Add a tsp of this blend to shimmering oil. Soon as it pops, add your vegetables and sautee till done. Alternately, pour the oil with spices over your finished soups to punch up its flavor. You can also sprinkle it on top of breads and buns before baking for a unique flavor. 1 tsp is enough for approxiamately 3 dry cups of vegetables, or 2 fluid cups of soup..