Badanjoon Nirali

Use the same weight; halve or quarter and cook 2–3 minutes longer. They hold their shape better in the sauce.

Use the same weight; slice or cube to the recipe's size. Similar flesh, slightly firmer.

Use the same weight; cube and salt for 10 minutes if the recipe does. It absorbs oil a little more.

Use 100% of the weight. Provides direct, sharp heat and red colour in equal measure.

Use 150% to 200% of the weight if matching colour, but add a pinch of black pepper or hot chilli if you need equivalent fiery heat.

Use 75% to 100% of the weight. Offers a sharp, clean heat with slightly less earthy depth and less crimson colour.

Use 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.

Use 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.

Use 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Use the same weight. The coating will be less crisp and may need a little more oil.

Use 70% of the weight. It gives a crisper, gluten-free coating but browns faster.

Use 60–70% of the weight alone. Very crisp but brittle; do not use as much as the combined mix.

Use the same weight; taste first as it can be smokier and saltier. Add lime or amchoor if the dish needs more tang.

Use about half the weight, mixed with black salt and a pinch of ground cumin. It gives tang and saltiness but lacks the minty, asafoetida notes.

Use about half the weight and add lime juice to taste. It gives the salty, sulphurous edge but not the full tangy blend.

Use the same weight; essentially the same sprout, so no real change.

Use the same weight; same bean and sprout, with only slight freshness differences.

Use the same weight; earthier and firmer, so cook a few minutes longer if needed.

Use the same weight, soak 8–12 hours and sprout if possible; if not sprouted, cook longer. Firmer and nuttier.

Use the same weight; milder and faster-cooking, with a lighter texture.

Use the same weight, soak and sprout; similar sprouted texture but milder flavour.

Use equal weight. Fry gently in oil or ghee with the ginger; incorporates smoothly into curries without visible minced bits.

Use 15% to 20% of the weight (about 1 g for every 5 to 6 g fresh cloves). Whisk into sauces; gives a savoury, toasted garlic flavour without raw pungency.

Use 1.5 times the weight, very finely minced. Sauté until golden; provides savoury allium sweetness, though it lacks garlic's pungent sulphur bite.

Use equal weight, finely sliced. Shallots soften and brown faster, giving a slightly sweeter and more delicate base to curries.

Use 80% of the weight, finely shredded and browned slowly with a pinch of asafoetida. Replicates the bulk and natural sweetness in gravies without allium.

Use 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.

Steep a tiny pinch (0.1 g per 2 g turmeric) in 2 tbsp warm water; use to match the rich golden hue. Contributes an aristocratic, honeyed floral flavour rather than earthy bitterness.

Use 40% to 50% of the fresh tomato weight mixed with a splash of water. Imparts a deeper red colour, thicker sauce, and slightly sweeter cooked flavour.

Use 60% of the weight, whisked smooth and added on low heat. Provides rich body and sourness, though the gravy becomes paler and creamier.

Use the same weight of the tamarind chutney part and stir in crushed jaggery to taste; mint chutney will be herby.

Use the same weight; sweeter and fruitier, with less tamarind tang.

Use the same weight; more herby and tart, so add a little jaggery.

Use about 30% of the weight of fresh mint. Rub between your palms to crush before stirring in; the flavour will be more intensely herbal and less bright.

Use equal weight, finely chopped. Adds fresh citrusy green notes, but lacks the cooling menthol lift.

Use equal weight, chopped fresh and stirred in off the heat or used as garnish. Matches the citrus-herbal profile identically.

Use 40% to 50% of the weight; chop finely and add at the very end. Adds fresh herbal brightness, but shifts the aroma toward cool menthol.

Use 10 to 15% of the weight (about 1/4 teaspoon per chilli); imparts dry pungent heat and reddens the dish without the grassy crunch.

Use 1 dried pod per fresh green chilli; snap in half and temper in hot oil for a deeper, toastier heat.

Use equal weight; scrape off the skin and grate or finely julienne according to the recipe.

Use equal weight; stir straight into the sizzling aromatics, taking care as the extra moisture may spit.

Use 15 to 20% of the weight; add alongside ground spices, noting it imparts warm, dry heat rather than zesty freshness.

Use equal volume or weight; delivers almost identical sharp acidity with a faintly more aromatic, bitter-edged profile.

Use 25% of the weight (about 1 g amchoor for 4 g juice); provides clean fruity tartness without thinning the sauce.

Use 75% of the volume; gives direct sourness without any citrus floral fragrance.

Use equal weight; grate or shave finely so it dissolves rapidly, giving a warm, caramel-like sweetness and slightly darker sauce.

Use 100% of the weight. Whisk thoroughly until smooth before stirring into warm gravies to prevent curdling.

Use 90% of the weight combined with 10% lemon juice to replicate the lactic tang and rich body in marinades and curries.

Crush or break into small crisp pieces and use the same weight as sev; add at the last moment so it stays crisp. It gives a salty crunch but not sev's fine noodle shape.

Crush coarsely and use the same weight; it gives a nutty, crisp legume taste. Add just before serving, as it softens in hot gravy.

Toast in a little ghee until crisp and use the same weight; substitute only for texture as a garnish, not for sev eaten on its own.