Adjika substitute

Substitutes for Adjika with ratios

1. 2Sambal oelek plus garlic and ground coriander

   Close match

   Use 1 tbsp sambal plus 1 small grated garlic clove and ¼ tsp ground coriander for every tbsp adjika

   Sambal oelek is essentially crushed red chilli with salt and vinegar, no sugar and no spice blend, which makes it the cleanest starting point of any bottled paste.

   What changes

   Adding raw garlic and coriander lands you convincingly close, with a slightly sharper vinegar edge than adjika has.

   Best for

   stews and braises, serving as a table condiment, chicken and pork, bean and vegetable dishes

   The closest in flavour direction if you already have sambal in the fridge. If the vinegar note is too obvious, a pinch of sugar knocks it back without making the paste sweet.

2. 3Red pepper flakes bloomed in oil with garlic and salt

   Different texture

   Use 2 tsp flakes plus 1 grated garlic clove, ¼ tsp salt and 1 tbsp oil for every tbsp adjika

   Warm the flakes gently in the oil for thirty seconds, take the pan off the heat, then stir in the raw garlic and salt.

   What changes

   Rough-textured and simple, but honest, and it hits the same three notes adjika lives on: heat, salt and garlic.

   Best for

   quick fixes, stirring into soups and stews, dressing potatoes and vegetables, rubs

   The best option when you have nothing bottled at all. Add a quarter teaspoon of ground coriander and it improves noticeably. Do not let the garlic fry, or it goes sweet and loses its bite.

3. 4Homemade dry adjika blend

   Different texture

   Use the same amount

   Combine 2 teaspoons ground hot red pepper, 1 teaspoon ground coriander seed, half a teaspoon ground fenugreek, half a teaspoon dried dill or dried marigold and 1 teaspoon fine salt.

   What changes

   This is the answer when the recipe rubs adjika onto meat or stirs it into a dry spice mix rather than spooning it from a jar.

   Best for

   dry rubs for chicken and lamb, seasoning roast vegetables, sprinkling over grilled meat, seasoning stews at the start

   Blue fenugreek, utskho suneli, is the smell people recognise as Georgian and is very hard to buy. Ground fenugreek seed is the nearest thing but more bitter, so use half as much as a recipe would use of blue fenugreek. A jar of khmeli suneli, if you find one, is closer still.

4. 5Gochujang

   Taste and texture differ

   ½ the amount, plus a pinch of salt and extra garlic

   Right heat level and real depth, but gochujang is sweet and fermented-soy savoury, so a Georgian stew made with it tastes rounder, darker and less sharp than it should.

   What changes

   A squeeze of lemon and an extra grated garlic clove cut through the sweetness and get it much closer.

   Best for

   braises and stews, marinades, meat glazes

   Use half the volume because it is thicker and more concentrated. It also browns faster than adjika under a grill because of the sugar, so watch anything you brush it onto.

5. 6Sriracha

   Taste and texture differ

   Use the same amount plus 1 grated garlic clove and a pinch of salt per tablespoon

   The honest least-bad option.

   What changes

   Expect a thinner, sweeter, distinctly vinegary result: it supplies heat and garlic, and nothing about it tastes Georgian. In a stew the sugar and vinegar are noticeable, and the paste will not sit on meat the way a thick adjika does.

   Best for

   emergencies, table condiment, dips and dressings

   If you only have sriracha, stir in a spoonful of tomato paste to thicken it and a good grating of raw garlic, and accept that the dish will taste of sriracha.