Smoked Haddock Kichri

Use 100% of the weight. If using semi-skimmed milk, stir in 10 g butter per 200 g milk to match the richness of whole milk.

Use 60% cream diluted with 40% water by weight to match the fat content of whole milk. Gravies will taste richer and reduce faster.

Use the same number or weight. Ordinary bay is milder and lacks the cinnamon-clove note; add early and remove before serving.

Use about 1 g cassia for every 2 g Indian bay leaf. It gives a warm cinnamon note but not a true laurel flavour; remove before serving.

Use a small 1 cm piece for 2 leaves. It adds warm sweetness but not bay flavour; remove before serving.

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 the same weight; cube and simmer until just cooked. Not smoked, so add paprika and a little salt.

Use the same weight; same fish but unsmoked. Add paprika for colour and a smoky note.

Use the same weight; thick chunks hold together. Not smoked; add paprika and check seasoning.

Use the same weight of beaten whole egg. Adds white as well as yolk, so the mixture is less rich and sets more firmly.

Use about 15 g cream per egg yolk for richness in curries or sauces. Does not bind or set like yolk.

Use about 15–20 g per yolk for moisture in marinades or fillings. Adds tang and will not enrich or set like yolk.

Use the same weight; use raw as a garnish, with no cooking.

Use the same weight; identical raw garnish use.

Use the same weight, chopped fine; it is stronger, so use 75% if used raw as a garnish.

Use the same weight and crush or grind as the recipe needs; whole peppercorn is the same spice.

Use the same weight; add nearer the end if the recipe calls for whole pepper, as ground loses aroma faster.

Use about 75–80% of the weight; it is milder and earthier, with less bite.

Use the same weight; cut into similar florets and cook 2–3 minutes less. It is greener and slightly stronger in flavour.

Use the same weight and break into even florets. This is essentially the same vegetable, so cooking and flavour change little.

Use the same weight; cut into wedges and cook 3–5 minutes less. It becomes much softer and sweeter, so the dish loses cauliflower's bite.

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.

Use the same weight; slightly earthier and greener, with similar cooking time.

Use the same weight; essentially the same dal, so adjust only the colour and slight flavour.

Use the same weight; cooks faster and softer, and turns pink, so reduce cooking time.

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 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 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 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 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 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. 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 2.5 times the weight if substituting pre-cooked rice. Fold in gently at the end of the recipe; grains will be shorter and less fragrant.

Use 80% to 85% of the weight. Delivers rich dairy flavour without the milk solids or moisture; watch the heat as it cooks hotter.

Use equal weight, but reduce the recipe's added salt by approximately 1.5% of the weight of butter used.

Use the same volume. It gives a fuller, less fishy base; simmer with a few prawn shells if you have them.

Use the same volume for a neutral version; add 1 tsp soy sauce per 250 ml to hint at fish.

Use the same volume with a pinch of salt. The dish will be thinner, so reduce other liquid slightly.