Hawaij substitute

Substitutes for Hawaij with ratios

1. 2Curry Powder (Soup Hawaij)

   Different taste

   Use the same amount plus ¼ tsp extra black pepper per teaspoon of curry powder

   The closest single jar most kitchens already own, sharing cumin, turmeric and coriander with soup hawaij.

   What changes

   Best for

   marak, chicken soup, rice, roast potatoes, a weeknight shortcut

   Curry powder brings fenugreek and usually some chili, so the soup tastes rounder, faintly sweeter and unmistakably more Indian, and the fenugreek adds a light maple-bitter note hawaij does not have. It is also generally more turmeric-heavy, so the broth goes a brighter, more insistent yellow. The extra black pepper is what restores hawaij's clean peppery lift and it makes a real difference.

2. 3Baharat + Turmeric (Soup Hawaij)

   Different taste

   Use the same amount plus ½ tsp turmeric per tablespoon of baharat

   A Levantine warm-spice blend with an overlapping backbone, corrected for the turmeric it lacks.

   What changes

   Best for

   marak, lamb and beef soups, stuffed vegetables, rice pilaf

   Baharat is built on black pepper, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and allspice, so it lands warmer and sweeter than hawaij and reads more Levantine. Without added turmeric your broth will stay pale rather than yellow, which matters visually in marak. The clove and nutmeg do show through, so use a slightly lighter hand than you would with hawaij itself.

3. 4Ras el Hanout (Soup Hawaij)

   Different taste

   ¾ as much as the hawaij called for

   A long North African blend that covers hawaij's warm-savoury territory and then keeps going.

   What changes

   Best for

   soups and stews, roast chicken, vegetables, when nothing simpler is on the shelf

   Ras el hanout usually contains turmeric, cumin, pepper, ginger and cinnamon, which is a genuine overlap, but it also frequently contains rose petals and sometimes lavender. The result is perfumed and floral rather than clean and peppery, and it can make a simple chicken soup taste oddly fancy. Use three-quarters as much because it is more complex, and add a little extra black pepper.

4. 5Ginger + Cinnamon + Cardamom + Cloves (Coffee Hawaij)

   Close match

   Use 2 tsp ground ginger + 1 tsp cinnamon + 1 tsp ground cardamom + ¼ tsp ground cloves makes about 1 heaped tbsp; use ¼ tsp for every cup of coffee

   The sweet blend rebuilt from four jars, for coffee, tea and baking.

   What changes

   Best for

   Yemeni coffee, spiced tea, cakes and cookies, milk drinks, poached fruit

   This is the real thing in household proportions; some versions also include a little fennel or anise, which pushes it sweeter and more liquorice-scented. Ginger should be the loudest note, and the most common mistake is letting cinnamon take over, which makes it taste like a generic bakery spice rather than Yemeni coffee spice. Cloves are the one ingredient to measure carefully.

5. 6Chai Masala or Pumpkin Pie Spice (Coffee Hawaij)

   Different taste

   Use the same amount and add ½ tsp extra ground ginger per tablespoon if using pumpkin pie spice

   Two ready-made sweet blends that sit close enough to coffee hawaij to be perfectly drinkable.

   What changes

   Best for

   spiced coffee, chai and spiced tea, baking, an emergency

   Chai masala is the better of the two, since it already leads with ginger, cardamom and cinnamon; you may just want a touch more ginger. Pumpkin pie spice is nutmeg- and allspice-heavy and usually contains no cardamom at all, so the coffee tastes autumnal and American rather than Yemeni, and the added ginger only partly fixes it. Either works; neither is exact.