Fennel Seeds

Fennel seeds are the dried seeds of the fennel plant, longer and greener than cumin, which they are often confused with. They are called saunf in Hindi, perunjeeragam in Tamil and maduru in Sinhala. In the kitchen they go into Kashmiri rogan josh and yakhni, Chettinad chicken, Bengali panch phoron, pickles, and the dry roasted curry powders of Sri Lanka.

Pick fennel that is bright green and smells sweet, since dull brown seed has lost most of its flavour. Plain fennel is the one to cook with, and many families also keep a jar on the table to chew after meals, sometimes toasted with a little sugar as mukhwas. It sits between cumin and star anise in strength, so it can soften a hot masala without taking over.

Fennel burns less easily than cumin, but still add it to the tempering just before the onions. Toast and grind it fresh for fennel powder, which keeps its scent only a few weeks. Store whole seed in a sealed jar away from light. See cumin seeds for the seed it is so often mixed up with, panch phoron for the Bengali five-seed blend, and the rest of the whole spices.