Murgh Methi Tikka

Use the same weight if boneless is needed; cooks 5–10 minutes faster than bone-in. Juicy and forgiving.

Use the same weight; bone-in and larger, so add 5–10 minutes. Similar richness.

Use the same weight; much leaner and drier, so reduce cooking time by 5–10 minutes and do not overcook.

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. Sauté in hot fat until the raw allium smell disappears; slightly wetter, but provides identical warmth and pungency.

Use 20% to 25% of the weight (1 g for every 4 to 5 g fresh). Stir into the gravy; adds peppery heat and warmth, though it misses the crisp, zesty kick of raw root.

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 100% of the weight. If the original recipe relies on salted table butter, add a pinch of salt to balance.

Use 80% to 85% of the weight. Ghee is pure butterfat with moisture removed; it yields a deeper, nuttier flavour and handles high heat better.

Use 80% of the weight for frying or tempering. The dish loses sweet dairy richness but remains glossy and light.

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 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 and whisk smooth; same thick consistency.

Use 1.25 times the weight and strain through muslin for 30 minutes; looser if not strained.

Use the same weight; virtually identical.

Use 100% of the weight. Many commercial gram flours are milled from split peas; performs identically in pakora batters and kadhi.

For crisping batters or binding cutlets: use 50% to 60% of the weight. Produces a very crisp shell but lacks the earthy, roasted nutty flavour of besan.

Use 12% of the weight, soak in warm water for 10 minutes, drain, and add. Stronger and less fresh-tasting.

Use 10% of the weight, crush between your palms, and add near the end. Gives the dried methi aroma.

Use the same weight, chopped, and add 2 minutes earlier. Milder, with no bitter methi flavour.

Use the same weight, crush between your palms before adding. This is effectively the same ingredient.

Use about 4 times the weight, add later in cooking. Milder and leafier; less of the dried maple-hay aroma.

Use the same weight and stir in early. Same flavour but no visible leaf specks.

Dry-roast lightly in a pan and grind to a fine powder; use equal weight (1:1). Offers a noticeably fresher, brighter citrus note.

Use 50% to 75% of the weight. Lacks the floral, citrusy profile of coriander and turns the gravy heavier, earthier, and darker.

Use 50% of the weight and stir in near the end of cooking. Adds warmth and depth since it contains ground coriander, but introduces stronger spices like clove and cinnamon.

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 equal weight. It handles high-heat cooking well, but lacks the signature pungent, nasal heat of mustard oil.

Use equal weight. Neutral in flavour, so your curry will lack the characteristic Bengali or North Indian pungent punch.