Tadka/tarka, chounk (chounk, chonk), vaghar/baghar, fodni (phodani, pholni), tempering, popu, thalchi -- all names from throughout the Subcontinent for making a quick savory concoction of spices, aromatics, and hot fat.

Making the mixture can be the first thing you do in a recipe, it can come in the middle, or it can be the last thing you do, right at serving time.

I use "tadka" only for that final flourish (I used to call it a "frizzle"), and I make it in an untraditional way.

For both the traditional and the untraditional way, the additions come in three groups:

whole spices	aromatics	ground spices
for instance	for instance	for instance
coriander seed cumin seed mustard seed	garlic fresh ginger fresh hot peppers onions shallots	cayenne ground turmeric

Traditional (hot pan) tadka

Put oil or clarified butter (ghee) into a small pan and heat it till the fat shimmers. Throw in the whole spices and cover the pan with a lid.

When the spices no longer make sizzling, crackling noises, remove the lid and throw in the aromatics. (Lid no longer needed.)

When you can smell the aromatics, throw in the ground and powdered spices. (No lid.)

Proceed immediately to the next step in the recipe, or if the tadka is the last step, pour it over the other ingredients from the rest of the recipe and serve the dish immediately.

Untraditional (cold pan) tadka

Put butter, brown butter, or clarified butter (ghee) into a cold pan with whole spices.

Put the lid on the pan and heat it up till you can hear the spices sizzle and crackle.

Take the pan off the heat, and let it cool down till you can rest your fingers on the bottom of the pan.

Add in the aromatics. (No more lid.) Cook on the stove over high heat.

When the aromatics exhale their perfume, add the ground and powdered spices and swirl everything around.

Pour the tadka over the other ingredients from the rest of the recipe and serve the dish immediately.