Thuna paha
Also known as thunapaha, thuna-paha, Sri Lankan curry spice base
Dry spice blend
Quick answer
The traditional spice base of Sri Lankan curries: either three seeds — coriander, fennel and cumin — or five aromatics — cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, cumin and curry leaves. Dry-roasting it dark is what makes a black curry.
In essentially every version: Cumin.
2 distinct versions are set out below. None of them is presented as the correct one, because there isn’t one.
What goes in it
The defining core first, then the versions, with what each ingredient is there to do.
| Ingredient | Role | How essential |
|---|---|---|
| CuminThe one spice named in both forms. | primary aromatic | defining |
The name covers two different preparations, the three-seed thuna and the five-spice paha, and each varies again with how it is treated: dry-roasting changes both its colour and its taste, and the dark-roasted seeds make the black curries. No proportions are given.
The versions
Each attributed to whoever describes it. The sources say what goes in and how it is made and give no amounts, so none are shown.
Thuna (three seeds)
Regional traditionTraditional Sri Lankan practice, as described in a review of the island’s traditional foods · no amounts given · medium confidence
Coriander, fennel and cumin seeds together. Roasted dark, these three are the spices of the black curries.
Made with: Coriander seed, Fennel seed, Cumin. The source gives no amounts, so none are shown.
Paha (five aromatics)
Regional traditionTraditional Sri Lankan practice, as described in a review of the island’s traditional foods · no amounts given · medium confidence
Cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, cumin and curry leaves together.
Made with: Cinnamon (Ceylon), Green cardamom, Turmeric, Cumin, Curry leaf. The source gives no amounts, so none are shown.
Using it
The base of Sri Lankan curries, used whole, in pieces, ground or as a wet paste. Red curries lean on chilli with a few other spices, white curries on green chilli, garlic, ginger or black pepper, and black curries on coriander, fennel and cumin roasted dark.
Distinct in flavour, and different roasted and unroasted: the dark-roasted seeds give black curries their colour and depth.
Allergens and safety
Not among the substances that must be declared as allergens under EU Regulation 1169/2011 Annex II or under the United States major food allergen rules. That is a statement about labelling law and not about whether allergy occurs: allergic reactions to spices are documented in the clinical literature and are simply not a labelling category. Where a ground spice presents an allergen risk it is usually through adulteration or shared processing equipment rather than through the plant itself.
Culture and origin
Sri Lanka. The name means "three-five", for its two forms.
Sri Lanka
The traditional spice base of the island’s curries, in its three-seed and five-spice forms.