Article originally appears in the March 29, 2019 issue of the SNEB eCommunicator.
Cuisines from other cultures are popular (read about the most popular ethnic cuisines in the U.S. @ https://blogs.voanews.com/all-about-america/2015/05/18/top-10-most-popular-ethnic-cuisines-in-us/).
Recipes may be a good way to get people to try new foods such as fruits/veggies and plant protein. Yet sometimes an interesting recipe is daunting if you don’t have access to ingredients. Online sources, local ethnic groceries and farmers markets may be available to some. For others, ingredient substitutions are an alternative. Here are some resources…
**Cooking ingredient substitution guide (infographic): offers substitutions for ingredients you are likely to see in recipes from other cultures
https://www.cooksmarts.com/articles/cooking-ingredient-substitutions-guide/
**How to substitute ethnic ingredients: offers substitutions for mirin, fish sauce, panko, tamarind, tahini
https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/5533-how-to-substitute-ethnic-ingredients
**Kitchen ingredients and common substitutions: comprehensive list includes storage info (click on ‘ingredients with substitutions’)
https://www.landolakes.com/kitchen-reference/ingredients-substitutions/
**Ingredient substitution lists: Asian recipes
https://www.asian-recipe.com/ingredients/ingredient-substitutions.html
**Thai ingredient substitutions
https://www.asian-recipe.com/ingredients/thai-ingredient-substitutions.html
**The Cook’s Thesaurus – Condiments: offers different condiments by selected countries and substitutes
http://www.foodsubs.com/Condimnt.html
**Clean Eating for Every Season – Alicia Tyler is a cookbook I happened to pick up and here are the author’s suggestions for some ingredient substitutions:
Cactus pads/nopales – green beans, okra
Chinese 5-spice powder – anise seed or star anise, fennel seed, cinnamon, black peppercorns and cloves
Galangal/Thai ginger – fresh ginger
Lotus root – jicama, water chestnuts
Garam masala – 1 t cardamom seeds, 1 T cumin seed, 1 t coriander seed, 2 t black peppercorns, 1 t cinnamon, 1 t cloves, 1 t nutmeg