Persian Shallots (Mousir) substitute

Substitutes for Persian Shallots (Mousir) with ratios

1. 2Fresh shallot on its own

   Taste and texture differ

   Use 1 medium shallot for every 2 tbsp dried mousir

   Fine if you actively do not want pungency, or if you are cooking the mousir into something rather than using it raw.

   What changes

   Best for

   mild yogurt dips, children or guests who dislike garlic, cooked dishes, dressings

   Sweeter, milder and juicier. The sharp wild edge that makes mast-o-mousir taste like mast-o-mousir is simply absent, so what you get is a pleasant shallot yogurt. Salt it lightly and leave it overnight, which sharpens it a little.

2. 3Grated garlic plus grated onion

   Taste and texture differ

   Use 1 small garlic clove + 2 tbsp grated onion for every 2 tbsp dried mousir

   A workable emergency version when there are no shallots in the house.

   What changes

   The onion supplies bulk and moisture, the garlic supplies the heat.

   Best for

   yogurt dips at short notice, dressings, cooked stews

   This tips towards tasting like garlic dip, because onion is blunter and sweeter than shallot and gives the garlic nothing to hide behind. Squeeze the grated onion in a cloth first to get rid of its watery juice, or the dip will separate. Start with half the garlic and taste after an hour in the fridge, since raw garlic keeps getting stronger.

3. 4Dried onion or dried garlic flakes, soaked

   Different taste

   Use 2 tbsp flakes for every 2 tbsp dried mousir

   The closest match in method and appearance: hard dry slices that swell into chewy pale pieces after soaking, exactly like rehydrated mousir.

   What changes

   Best for

   matching the chewy texture in a dip, long-life pantry cooking, camping and boat kitchens

   Soak in cold water for an hour, then drain. Texture is genuinely close. Flavour is much more one-dimensional, and dried garlic flakes in particular have a toasted, slightly stale note that fresh mousir does not, so use mostly onion flakes with only a pinch of garlic flake.

4. 5Ramps or wild garlic, in season

   Different texture

   Use 3-4 leaves or 1 small ramp bulb for every 2 tbsp dried mousir

   The only substitute that captures the wildness.

   What changes

   Ramps and wild garlic are also foraged alliums with the same green, aggressive, garlic-and-onion-at-once character.

   Best for

   spring cooking, mast-o-mousir when ramps are at the market, yogurt dips, herb sauces

   Closest in spirit but only available for a few weeks a year. Ramp leaves are greener and more herbal than mousir, so the dip takes on a faint chive-and-spinach colour and flavour. Use the bulb if you can get it, since the leaves are gentler.

5. 6Chives plus a small amount of garlic

   Taste and texture differ

   Use 3 tbsp chopped chives + ¼ small garlic clove for every 2 tbsp dried mousir

   The mildest option, and the right one if you want something pleasant rather than authentic.

   What changes

   Best for

   mild yogurt dips, topping potatoes, sandwich spreads

   Chives are grassy and delicate, so this is a long way from mousir's blunt pungency. The result is a good herb yogurt but not a Persian shallot dip. Be honest with anyone who has eaten the real thing.