Panch phoron

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Panch phoran (Bengali: পাঁচ ফোড়ন) (also known as panch phoron, panch puran, panchpuran, punch puram, punchpuram, and Bengali five-spice) is an Indian spice blend typically consisting of five whole spices in equal measure:

Fenugreek (methi)
Nigella seed (kalonji)
Mustard seed or (rai or shorshe)
Fennel seed (saunf or mouri)
Cumin seed (jira)

Some variations include wild onion instead of cumin, while others also include radhuni seed in addition. However, panch phoron is a slight misnomer when applied to blends that include radhuni (Trachyspermum roxburghianum syn. Carum roxburghianum), since in Oriya or Bengali panch phoran literally means "five spices".

Wild onion seed is a misnomer applied to nigella seeds (because they look like onion seeds). They do not replace anything. The only variation (though maybe only true panch phoran in Bengal) is the substitution of radhuni for mustard seed, everything else remains the same.

In the tradition of Oriya and Bengali cuisine, one usually first fries the panch phoron in cooking oil or ghee, which causes them to start popping immediately.^[1] At this point, one adds vegetables (especially potatoes), lentils, or fish to the cooking vessel to coat with the spice mixture.

In Bengal, the cradle of this mixture, a spice called radhuni is used, not mustard seed. A better replacement for radhuni, hardly available outside of Bengal, would be celery seed.

Panch phoron is usually not used to season any meats other than fish.