Scent leaf (African basil) substitutes

The best answer available in most cities. It carries a clear anise and clove aroma in the same family as scent leaf, and unlike Genovese basil it does not collapse into slime the moment it hits hot broth.

Best for

pepper soup, ofe akwu (banga), yam porridge, isi ewu, abacha

Sweeter and more liquorice-forward than scent leaf, and missing the eucalyptus-medicinal edge that makes efirin smell so distinct. In a spiced pepper soup that difference is small; in a mild dish it is noticeable.

Botanically a close cousin of scent leaf and arguably the nearest match on aroma, with a peppery clove pungency very much like efirin rather than the sweet anise of Thai basil.

Best for

pepper soup, ofe akwu, yam porridge, nkwobi

Sharper and a little muskier than scent leaf, and it can taste slightly medicinal on its own, which in this context is a feature. Sold at Southeast Asian and Indian grocers; the Indian tulsi sold for tea is a different, more astringent cultivar.

The everyday supermarket fix. Ordinary basil supplies the soft green herb aroma and the cloves supply the specific note it lacks, which is exactly what separates African basil from Italian basil.

Best for

pepper soup, yam porridge, stews, ofe akwu

Sweeter and more perfumed than the original, and it turns dessert-like fast if you overdo the cloves, so start with less than an eighth of a teaspoon and add in pinches. Genovese also wilts to almost nothing, so add it at the very last moment.

The mint supplies the cooling, slightly medicinal top note that plain basil misses, and together they give the bright aromatic finish scent leaf is there for. Works better in pepper soup than you would expect.

Best for

pepper soup, goat meat pepper soup, light broths, fish dishes

Reads fresher and more Levantine or Southeast Asian than West African, and there is no clove note at all. Use spearmint rather than peppermint, which is too aggressive and cold.

Stocked by African grocers and by online African food shops, and it keeps the clove-pungent core of the flavour. Add it a few minutes before the end of cooking so it has time to rehydrate.

Best for

pepper soup, stews, yam porridge, spice blends

Drying removes the fresh green lift entirely, so the finish is duller and flatter and the soup smells cooked rather than perfumed. Use it as a base note and, if you can, add a fresh herb at the very end alongside it.

A genuine same-cuisine alternative, sold frozen wherever scent leaf is sold, and often used in the same pot. Many Igbo cooks use both together precisely because they finish a soup differently.

Best for

ofe akwu, ofe nsala, pepper soup, Igbo soups

Peppery and slightly bitter rather than clove-aromatic, so the soup finishes hotter and greener instead of perfumed. Not an imitation of scent leaf, but a legitimate substitution that native cooks would recognise.