The food scene in India has gone global. Thanks to food shows like MasterChef India and food channels like Living Foodz and Food Food, people are becoming increasingly aware of a wide range of global cuisines. As international travel and fine dining becomes more affordable and the people’s purchasing power goes up, everyone is waking up to their pasta done al dente and their vegetables cut into juliennes. Not just that international ingredients that are not really native to India are making their presence felt on our plates and our palates. But finding these ingredients to make that delicious Thai salad or a Paella can be quite a challenge. These ingredients are not just expensive, they are also rarely available in non-metro cities.
That shouldn’t stop us from eating delicious food though, should it? While India has a very, very wide range of cuisines that one can never tire of exploring or learning about; international cuisine has its own unique flavors to offer. And cooking international dishes at home with scarce availability of these special ingredients can be a challenge. No more!
Here are some easy Indian replacements for the international ingredients that can help you get your flavors right and enjoy that perfect plate of food. Besides its super important to support local farmers and buy local produce.
Paneer instead of Tofu
This is quite a no-brainer. Tofu is the curd obtained by curdling soy milk. It has different types – silken tofu, regular tofu, firm tofu, extra firm tofu, super firm tofu, seasoned tofu, etc. But if you can’t find tofu to make that stir fry or salad or whatever Asian dish you’re working on, replace it with paneer. You can make paneer quickly at home and adjust the firmness of the paneer according to the requirements of your dish. Or you can use store-bought frozen or fresh paneer too. The flavor profiles are definitely different and your dish will not be vegan anymore if that’s what you were planning on though.
Carom seeds instead of Thyme
Thyme is an aromatic herb commonly used in European cuisine. It can be used fresh or dried. However, thyme is not quite common for the Indian climate, so it can be a challenge to find fresh thyme throughout the year. Dried thyme can still be found in spice bottles from popular brands like Keya. However, if you can’t find thyme, simply replace it with carom seeds. Carom seeds are commonly called as Ajwain in Hindi. Both thyme and carom seeds contain the enzyme thymol. All our kitchens always have carom seeds. It is also a popular home remedy for cold. This will help you get the flavors you were looking for.
Bottle gourd or Sponge gourd instead of Zuccini or Courgette
You’ll often find yellow or green zucchini as an ingredient in many recipes. Did you know in South Africa, zucchini is called as baby marrow? Zucchini is a summer squash. Nowadays, many people make noodles out of it as a healthy alternative to the usual noodles. Well, you can’t do that with a replacement ingredient, but for usual recipes you can substitute zucchini with a bottle gourd or a sponge gourd. As a last case, you can also try substituting it with the Indian squash or tinde. The flavor and texture of either are not generally comparable to zucchini, but the recipe would still work and you wouldn’t miss the zucchini in the dish at all.
Green Apple with Spinach instead of Celery
There are some recipes that require a lot of celery to be used to give it a distinct flavor. Now, celery is not so easily available with our subjiwalas most of the time and if you live in smaller cities celery is almost never found anywhere. What to do? Just substitute it with green apple and spinach together. The tartness of the green apple paired with the earthy saltiness of spinach will closely imitate the flavor of celery while also giving the fish a green color. And there you go, you just salvaged that soup!
Lingude instead of Asparagus
Some oven roasted or stir fried asparagus in a dish can add such a burst of flavors. But well, in the town where I grew up, no vegetable vendor had ever seen or known asparagus. If I would have asked them about it, I would sure have gotten laughed at! A classic alternative to asparagus grows in our Himalayan state of Uttarakhand – Lingude. Well, I can’t find it in my markets either, but its still an alternative for those can find it. Lingude or fiddlehead ferns are the furled fronds of young ferns. Just steam the lingude till they are tender and there you have something just as crunchy and delicious as the asparagus shoots. Always remember that the lingude cook really quickly, so be mindful of the cooking time.
Onions instead of Leeks
I’ve very often felt that leeks taste almost pretty close to onions. Anyone else felt that? Though, leeks are a little more mild in flavor and slightly more watery than onions. But it could still work as a good replacement. I’ve tried it in my leek and potato soup (with leeks replaced by onions, effectively making it an onion and potato soup!) and even with a leek pie (should actually be onion pie then!), and it has worked out pretty fine. As for the leafy bits of leeks, use the onion leaves or the spring onions.
Spring Onions or Green Garlic instead of Chives
People often tend to mistake chives with green garlic leaves. Well, they are close relatives in the same family, but they’re not the same. They’re more like siblings but not twins. Chives have tubular leaves with a delicate oniony flavor with a hint of garlic. So, when you don’t find chives, trust me, you can easily replace it with spring onions or green garlic and none of those party guests you’re trying to impress will be able to tell the difference. Get chopping then!
Bhavnagri Chilies (Achari Chilies) instead of Bell Peppers
These days, bell peppers or our desi Simla Mirch is quite easily available. But when Murphy’s law gets acting it can be really tough to find them. Or just when you have begun cooking, you realize you’re out of bell peppers. Fret not. Bhavnagri chilies are the perfect replacement for bell peppers. These Bhavnagri chilies or the achari chilies are what we use to make those stuffed chilies or what we in Gujarati call as bharela marcha. These bhavnagri chiles have very low amount of the spicy compound – capsaicin in them, just like all the members of the capsicum family. Plus, they have this characteristic aromatic herb flavor. When you make this replacement, you’ll add a really good flavor note to the dish without disturbing the balance.
Raw Mango + Carrots instead of Parsnips
Parsnips are root vegetables that are closely related carrots and parsley. They look similar to radishes but they don’t taste the same. Radishes have a sharp flavor, while parsnips have sweet flavor. In Europe, parsnips were used as a sweetener when the cane sugar wasn’t yet introduced in the continent. While radishes can’t be used as replacements for parsnips, you can use a combination of raw mango with carrots instead. Parsnips and carrots belong to the same taxonomic family, and are close in flavor while the raw mango adds the slight sour notes that are required in parsnips. Together the sweetness of carrots and sourness of the raw mangoes will together imitate the flavor of parsnips very well.
Mustard + Radish instead of Wasabi
Wasabi is a commonly found ingredient in Oriental cuisine. It has a very sharp, strong flavor. When you can’t find wasabi, mix together some mustard oil with radish and there, this is the perfect replacement for wasabi. Wasabi, horseradish, radish, and mustard all belong to the same family and have similar flavors.
Cauliflower or Cabbage instead of Broccoli
Cabbage and Broccoli belong to the same family. Their flavors are quite different, no doubt, but that typical pungency is common to both. So, when you can’t find broccoli, replace it with cabbage if you are looking for the flavor aspect in the recipe. If you’re looking for the visual factors and need florets, then cauliflower is what you should use.
Well, these are some of the common Indian ingredient replacements you can use for popular international ingredients. Do you have any such trips of your own? Share them with me and you could get a chance to be featured in my blog. Also, if you try any of these replacements, don’t forget to tag me in the posts.
