Chaunk (Hindi: ; sometimes spelled chhaunk, chounk, chonk, chhounk, or chhonk, or pronounced chhawnce; also called tarka, tadka, bagar, phoron, or phoran or popu( పోపు ) in Telugu ; and often translated as tempering) is a garnish and/or cooking technique used in the cuisines of India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, in which whole spices (and sometimes also other ingredients such as minced ginger root or sugar) are fried briefly in oil or ghee to liberate essential oils from cells and thus enhance their flavors, before being poured, together with the oil, into a dish.