hi everybody and welcome to part two of our spice basics. this time it's all about seeds. we start with the very much loved mustard seeds. in india they not only use the mustard seeds for cooking, but also mustard oil for massages. it is commonly used to massage children as the mustard oil is said to prevent dehydration. it is also very warming and helps against cough and cold. the same is true for cooking. if you use mustard seeds, you add a very nice level of hotness. very important. in west-bengal or india in general, we use black mustard seeds. this is something you very likely already know. fennel seeds.
you might already know that fennel helps, if you feel a bit gassy. that's why, it is also very often used as a tea for babies. fennel is also very good for your eyes. better than camilla. it cools and cleans your eyes. if feel strained from looking at the pc, try soaking cotton pads in fennel tea and putting them on your eyes. in india it is very common in restaurants to offer fennel seeds mixed with rock sugar after the meal. the fennel aroma helps to neutralize the smell of the indian meals. so, always have some fennel seeds ready. coming up next, we have coriander seeds. coriander seeds are great for detoxing. we have a meal called khichuri, in which we put coriander seeds along with other spices.
coriander helps to cleanse your body, so it should be part of every detox regimen. here, we have kalonji. you might know it as onion seeds. in india you often combine it with green vegetables. we love to put in our saag. or you can put it on your naan. also very tasty. like most of the other spices, it has lots of antioxidants and cleanses your body. the next seeds are fenugreek seeds. we simply call it methi. methi is a bit bitter and, hence, used in small portions only. the bitterns are very good against sugar.
it also helps against hair loss. we showed you lots of different seeds. in westbengal many of them a mixed into a spice called panch phoron. panch phoron literally means fives spices or five tastes. and it is the essence of the bengali cuisine. it consist of fennel, fenugreek, onion seeds, cumin and mustard seeds. we used panch phoron in our tomato chutney and aloo tarkari recipes. it is mostly used for vegetarian dishes, rather than meat-based recipes. but also for fish. panch phoron is also renowned in ayurveda. every spice has its own special properties. if you want to learn more about this, let us know in the comments and we will do an episode on spices in ayurveda.
that's it for the second part of our spice basics. now you quite a lot about indian spices. give it a try and expirement a bit. have fun!