Gana’s Pork Cheek Coorg

Use the same weight, cut into chunks, and braise 20–30 minutes longer until collagen softens.

Use the same weight, add a little oil, and cook longer and slower; leaner and less gelatinous.

Use the same weight of meat, bone removed; braise longer and skim the fat.

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; sharper and clearer; reduce salt slightly.

Use 90% of the weight, diluted with 10% water; harsher, so taste.

Use the same weight; fresher sourness but no malt flavour; reduce salt.

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.

Dry-roast raw peanuts until spotted and fragrant; use the same weight.

Roast and rub off skins; use the same weight.

Use the same weight for a milder crunch; less earthy, so adjust salt.

Use the same weight, sliced; add 2 g fennel seed per 100 g to mimic the aniseed note. Texture is stringier and less sweet.

Use the same weight, sliced; add 2 g fennel powder per 100 g. It is sweeter and softer, with no crunchy bulb texture.

Use only 2–3 g per 100 g of missing bulb, tied in a cloth or ground; it gives the flavour but not the vegetable bulk.

Use 70% of the weight, make up the rest with water, and add a little granulated sugar if the liquor was sweet. Sharper and thinner.

Use at 70% of the weight with water. Milder and fruitier than pickling liquor.

Use at 60% of the weight with water; stronger and maltier, so reduce any other vinegar in the dish.

True cinnamon: thinner, papery quills, milder and sweeter. Use about 1.5 times the weight, and taste.

Use about a third of the weight (0.5 g ground for a 2.5 cm piece), stirred in with the ground spices rather than fried whole, since the powder burns quickly.

Use 60-70% of the weight; stronger and more peppery, so taste before adding more.

Use equal weight or 1 g lightly crushed aniseed per whole star anise star. Delivers the same sweet liquorice profile, though slightly less woody.

Use equal weight, bruised in a mortar. Lends a gentler, sweeter liquorice note to gravies and biryanis.

Use 1 g ground for 4 g whole (or 1 small pinch per 2 to 3 whole cloves). Add with spice powders; disperses intense warmth quickly, so use with restraint.

Use 100% of the weight whole in tempering. Imparts a warm, clove-like aromatic profile combined with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon.

Use 1 pod for 3 to 4 cloves in whole tempering. Shares a camphor-like warmth and medicinal depth, though it introduces a distinct smoky undertone.

Use 75% of the weight; stir in along with wet masala or tomato purée rather than frying in hot oil, as the fine powder burns instantly.

Use 50% of the weight for tempering in hot oil. Lacks the floral, sweet citrus flavour of coriander, introducing warm, pungent earthiness instead.

Use 50% of the weight in tempering; provides pleasant aromatic sweetness, though noticeably aniseedy rather than citrusy.

Use 75% of the weight. Add midway through simmering; spreads heat evenly through the dish instead of delivering isolated bursts.

Use 50% of the weight. Stir in near the end of cooking; significantly darkens light gravies and provides an immediate, sharp bite.

Use 35 to 40% of the total pod weight; lightly bruise the seeds before frying in oil to release their essential oils.

Use 20 to 25% of the pod weight (about 1 generous pinch per pod); stir in toward the end of cooking so the delicate floral notes do not dissipate.

Use 1:1 by pod count or weight; crack gently before using, though it is slightly less intensely floral.

Use 70% of the weight; add with ground spices or sauce bases rather than hot oil tempering, where it scorches quickly and turns bitter.

Use equal weight for oil tempering. Delivers an earthy profile with an additional musky, smoky, and slightly bitter edge.

Use 60% of the weight for tempering; offers comparable warm aroma, but leans sweet and liquorice-like rather than savoury and earthy.

Use the same weight. The seeds are smaller and hotter; fry in hot oil until they pop, about 20–30 seconds, and reduce the heat if they darken too fast. The dish will be a little sharper.

Use the same weight. They are milder and larger; fry a few seconds longer until they pop. The finished dish will have less pungency.

Use 70% of the weight of whole seed, added with the other ground spices rather than fried whole. You lose the popping texture and the heat comes through more evenly.

Use 50% of the weight, crush or grind. Sharper heat and less maple-bitter; fry briefly in oil before adding.

Use the same weight, crush lightly. Similar bitter-seed note but more aniseed; reduce other sweet spices slightly.

Use 25–30% of the weight, crush. Much stronger thyme-like flavour; do not overdo.

Fry 1 bay leaf for every 5 curry leaves in hot oil; imparts a warm, woodsy background note, but misses the citrus-sulphury punch entirely.

Add a small squeeze (about 5 ml per sprig of curry leaves) right before serving; provides sharp citrus top notes without the toasty, herbal aroma.

Use the same weight; cook a little longer. Milder and less sweet when raw.

Use the same weight; sweeter and softer, so reduce cooking time slightly.

Use only the white parts, weight for weight, for raw or quick-cooked dishes; green parts are too grassy for long cooking.

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 the same weight; the difference is only the order of the names.

Mix with an equal weight of ginger paste and use the same total weight.

For 20 g paste use about 10 g crushed garlic and 10 g grated ginger root with a splash of water. Add a little extra water if the dish looks dry.

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.

Grind deseeded dried pods to an equal weight of powder; gives identical vivid red colour and gentle warmth.

Use 25% of the weight mixed with sweet paprika for colour; straight red chilli powder is substantially hotter and will make the dish fiery.

Use one-third of the weight; the sauce will be less intensely red and notably sharper in heat.