Filfel chuma substitutes

Mash 2 tbsp sweet paprika, 1-2 tsp cayenne, 6-8 crushed garlic cloves, 1 tsp ground caraway, 1 tsp ground cumin and ½ tsp salt into 3-4 tbsp olive oil until it forms a thick paste.

Best for

hraimi, the Libyan spicy fish in tomato sauce, spreading on bread, couscous broth, rubbing on roast chicken or lamb, stirring into soups

This is the rare case where making the ingredient beats substituting it, because there is no fermentation or long cooking involved. Everything in it is a standard spice rack item apart from the caraway, and the flavour is genuinely right rather than approximately right. Let it sit 30 minutes so the raw garlic softens into the oil.

The closest jarred starting point, corrected for the two things harissa is short on.

Best for

fish stews, shakshuka-style dishes, marinades, dressings

Harissa on its own tastes of chilli and coriander seed and reads far less pungent, so the dish loses the sharp allium hit that defines filfel chuma. Crushed raw garlic puts it back. If you are cooking rather than spreading, fry the garlic in the oil for 30 seconds before stirring in the harissa so it does not taste harsh.

Asian-style chilli garlic paste already has the garlic; the added spices push it towards North Africa.

Best for

quick weeknight versions of hraimi, noodles and rice, eggs, roast vegetables

The garlic level is right, which is most of the battle. What changes is that these pastes are made with vinegar, so the result is sharper and tangier, and they have none of the earthy caraway warmth. The paprika restores the sweetness and the deep brick-red colour that filfel chuma gives a tomato sauce. Cut back the lemon in the recipe to compensate for the extra acidity.

Coarse Indonesian chilli paste built up towards the Libyan profile.

Best for

stews, grilled fish, marinades

Sambal is hotter and more acidic than filfel chuma and has a fresher, greener chilli flavour rather than the toasted dried-chilli sweetness of paprika-based pastes. With garlic, caraway and paprika added it gets respectably close for a cooked dish. It stays noticeably more sour on bread, where you have nowhere to hide.

An emergency option when there is nothing else in the fridge.

Best for

quick pan sauces, sandwiches

Be realistic about this one. Sriracha is thin, sweet and vinegary, so it glosses a piece of fish rather than coating it, and the finished dish tastes sweet-and-sour where it should taste garlicky and earthy. Use more of it by volume because it is much weaker, reduce or remove any sugar in the recipe, and expect a dish in the right general direction rather than the right place.

Fermented Korean chilli paste with enough garlic added to shift its character.

Best for

long-cooked stews, braises, meat marinades

Gochujang brings a savoury depth that filfel chuma does not actually have, so this is a swap that changes the dish rather than replicating it. It is also distinctly sweet from the rice in it, which means a tomato-based fish stew comes out rounder and jammier. Cut any sugar in the recipe and use it only where it will cook for a while, never raw on bread.