Awaze substitute

Substitutes for Awaze with ratios

1. 2Harissa + Honey + Fenugreek

   Different taste

   Use the same amount for awaze, plus 1 tsp honey and a generous pinch of ground fenugreek per ¼ cup of harissa

   The best ready-made jar to reach for, corrected in the two places it differs most.

   What changes

   Best for

   tibs, grilled meat, sandwiches and wraps, dipping bread, a quick marinade

   Harissa is caraway- and coriander-forward with roasted red pepper sweetness and usually a lot more garlic, so the result is brighter, sharper and more Mediterranean than awaze. What it is missing is berbere's fenugreek-and-clove bass note, which is exactly what the added fenugreek and honey are patching. Genuinely good on tibs even uncorrected, just clearly not the same sauce.

2. 3Sambal Oelek or Chile Paste + Warm Spices

   Different taste

   Use the same amount for awaze; per ¼ cup add ½ tsp paprika, ¼ tsp ground fenugreek, ⅛ tsp ground cardamom, a pinch of cloves and ½ tsp honey

   A plain chili paste used as a blank canvas and spiced up toward awaze.

   What changes

   Best for

   kitfo, tibs, when you want to control the heat level yourself, dipping

   The heat, the coarse texture and the cling are all right, and the flavour starts out bare, which is an advantage because you are building rather than fighting. What you will notice is vinegar: sambal oelek is more acidic and sharper than awaze, so it tastes tangier and less earthy. A little extra honey and 10 minutes of resting settles it.

3. 4Gochujang, Thinned with Red Wine

   Different taste

   Use the same amount for awaze, thinned with 1 to 2 tsp dry red wine per 2 tbsp until spoonable

   An unexpected but effective match on texture, since gochujang has almost exactly awaze's thick, clinging consistency.

   What changes

   Best for

   dipping, a table condiment, grilled meat, when you want less raw-chili bite

   Gochujang is distinctly sweeter and carries a fermented soybean funk, so a plate of tibs eaten with it tastes rounder, deeper and less dusty-spicy than it should, and the fenugreek note is gone entirely. It is very good in its own right and the closest thing to awaze on texture alone. Better as a dip than as a marinade, because the sugar in it catches and burns in a hot pan.

4. 5Sriracha + Tomato Paste

   Different taste

   2 parts sriracha to 1 part tomato paste, plus a pinch of allspice; use 1:1 for awaze

   The supermarket emergency version, using two things almost every kitchen already has.

   What changes

   Best for

   an emergency mid-meal, tibs, eggs and sandwiches

   This is the least-bad option rather than a good one. The colour and the cling are right, but it reads as garlicky and vinegary, and the tomato paste makes it sweeter and more ketchup-adjacent than awaze ever is. Honest expectation: it will taste like a nice hot sauce next to your kitfo, not like awaze. If you have any warm spice at all, an eighth of a teaspoon of cardamom or cloves helps a surprising amount.

5. 6Ajvar or Adjika + Cayenne

   Different taste

   Use the same amount for awaze, plus cayenne to taste, starting at ¼ tsp per ¼ cup

   A roasted-pepper paste base for anyone who wants awaze's texture and colour without the full heat.

   What changes

   Best for

   serving to people who dislike chili heat, spreading on bread, a mild table sauce, vegetable platters

   Ajvar is sweet roasted red pepper with little or no heat, so on its own it is pleasant and completely unlike awaze. Adjika is closer, being garlicky and often already spicy. Either way the finished sauce comes out sweeter, softer and more vegetal, which is fine on bread and thin sitting next to kitfo. Add the cayenne gradually and taste, because these pastes vary enormously.