Panch phoron

Panch phoron, panch phodan or pancha phutana is a whole spice blend, originating from the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent and used in the cuisines of Eastern India and Northeastern India, especially in the cuisines of Bhojpur, Mithila, Odisha, Assam, Bengal and Nepal. The name literally means "five spices".

All of the spices in panch phoron are seeds. Typically, panch phoron consists of cumin seed (jeera), nigella seed (kalonji), fenugreek seed (methi), wild celery seed (radhuni or joni in Assamese) and fennel seed (sauf) in equal parts. Some cooks prefer to use a smaller proportion of fenugreek seeds, because of their mildly bitter taste.