Mahyaveh substitutes

Standard fish sauce rebuilt into mahyaveh with the spice mix that defines it.

Best for

dipping sauce for taftoon or lavash, Bandari rice dishes, fish and shrimp, tomato and herb stews from Hormozgan

Toast a quarter teaspoon each of mustard seed, coriander seed and cumin in a dry pan until they smell nutty, grind them, then whisk into a quarter cup of fish sauce with a pinch of ground fenugreek, a teaspoon of tamarind paste and two tablespoons of water. Warm gently, do not boil. The result is close enough that most people would not question it: slightly thinner and cleaner than the real thing, with less of the heavy long-fermented depth, but the spice aroma lands correctly. Fenugreek is the single most recognisable note, so do not skip it, and do not overdo it either because it turns bitter fast.

Fermented anchovy sauce from Thailand or Vietnam, the closest thing on a normal shelf.

Best for

stews and braises where other spices are already present, seasoning rice, quick fixes mid-recipe

The fermented fish backbone is genuinely the same idea, which is why this works at all. What changes: it tastes sharper, saltier and more one-note, with a thin brininess instead of mahyaveh's rounded, almost gravy-like body, and there is no spice perfume at all. In a cooked dish with cumin and turmeric already in the pot you may barely notice. As a bread dip on its own, plain fish sauce tastes harsh and unfinished, so spice it.

Italian anchovy drippings, an unspiced fermented fish liquid with a long slow ferment behind it.

Best for

dishes where you want fermented depth without Southeast Asian sharpness, fish, dressings

The best match for the fermentation character specifically, rounder and less pungent than Thai fish sauce and closer to mahyaveh's mellow savouriness. It is also expensive, and it still has none of the mustard and fenugreek aroma, so add the spice mix as above. Use it if you already own a bottle rather than buying one for this purpose.

Tubed salted anchovy paste loosened into a pourable sauce.

Best for

cooking rather than dipping, stews, rubs for grilled fish

Mash it smooth with the water and a squeeze of lemon before it goes near the pan or it will stay in lumps. The result is oilier, fishier in a fresh-anchovy way rather than a fermented way, and less salty per spoon, so taste and adjust. It reads as anchovy to most palates, which is not quite the same thing as reading as fermented fish sauce, but in a spiced tomato dish nobody will mind. Add the cumin, coriander, mustard and fenugreek to get it into the right neighbourhood.

Fermented shrimp paste, fried briefly in a little oil to tame the raw smell.

Best for

cooked dishes only, rice, vegetable stews

Powerfully funky and far more concentrated, so start at half the quantity and work up. The funk goes in a shrimpy, slightly sweet direction rather than mahyaveh's fishy-savoury one, and shrimp paste never dissolves completely, so a clear sauce will look cloudy and speckled. Always fry it for thirty seconds first, because used raw it dominates everything. Not suitable as a bread dip.

Two tablespoons soy sauce, half a teaspoon of miso, a teaspoon of tamarind paste and the mahyaveh spice mix, plus a small piece of toasted nori if you have it.

Best for

vegetarian and vegan versions of Bandari dishes, when no fish product is possible

Be honest with yourself here: this gets you salt, fermented savouriness and the right spice aroma, and it does not get you fish. A vegetarian version tastes rounder, maltier and distinctly less marine, and the finished dish will taste good but not like the original. Crumbling in a little toasted nori or a few drops of seaweed soaking water narrows the gap more than anything else. This is the least-bad option rather than a substitute.