Topa Kooler Achar

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.

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 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.

Soak in warm water for 20 minutes, then use 50–60% of the weight; more concentrated and darker, so reduce sugar slightly.

Use an equal weight of ripe pear, peeled and chopped; add a squeeze of lemon as pear is less tart and juicier.

Only if sourness is the point: use about 1 tsp per 100 g plum and taste; it will not give plum sweetness or body.

Use the same weight, grated and melted in a little hot liquid; less bitter and more caramel-like, so cut any other sugar slightly.

Same weight; milder and less bitter, so use 10% more if you want the dark colour and treacly depth.

Same weight; the soft brown sugar option is the closest for baking, jaggery for savoury dishes.

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

Grind the same weight freshly; toast lightly first. This is the exact flavour.

For 5 g ground panch phoron, mix about 1 g each ground cumin, ground fennel seed, ground mustard seed, ground fenugreek and ground black cumin; toast before grinding. Lacks nigella.

Use with equal ground cumin and ground mustard seed as a rough blend, about 1.5 times the total weight; sweeter and missing fenugreek/nigella.