‘The Food Substitutions Bible’

I only have one criticism where Trinidad chefs and cooks are concerned, which I’d better get off my chest at once. Look up “cilantro” and you’re told to substitute “culantro” with the note in brackets “(more bitter flavour)”.

Now, I don’t know about you but I strongly suspect that “culantro” is nothing more nor less than our own chadon beni, shadow benny — which tastes like cilantro (coriander, dhunia) but it, undoubtedly is “more bitter”. According to my Trini friends of East Indian heritage, chadon beni/shadow benny is called “pan dhunia” (false or imitation dhunia/cilantro/coriander) which settles the matter as far as I am concerned — the Yanks have changed the name chadon beni to culantro.

Otherwise, I have nothing but praise for this invaluable book. It’s opened a whole world of exciting recipes printed in the local media listing ingredients unobtainable in Trinidad. Take, for example “chorizo” that appears with monotonous regularity in many a recipe. I now know I can use spicy Kielbasa instead, or hot links, or hot Italian sausage.

Or quinoa — a grain grown in the high Andes. If you can’t find/don’t have/can’t afford it, you can substitute rice, cracked wheat, bulgur or couscous.

If you can’t find…etc, etc, Mascarpone (an Italian cheese), one suggestion is to substitute half of cream cheese mixed with half of sour cream. Indeed this book lives up to its boast to list “More Than 5,000 Substitutions for Ingredients, Equipment and Techniques.” To my mind it should be on every bridal registry list, on every kitchen library shelf.

It gives conversions for baking at high altitudes (essential, as I discovered to my cost, for cooks in Bogot? and Quito) gives volume equivalents, pan sizes equivalents, ingredient guides for rice, peppers, wheat flours, for pulses . . . I could go on and on — but I won’t.

I’ll leave readers to go to Nigel Khan, Bookseller, who, at my suggestion, brought this book to Trinidad — and Tobago. I bought my copy from Amazon.com to fill out an order so that the shipping and handling charges wouldn’t come to more than my purchase of a couple of DVDs.

You’ll find that invaluable book The Food Substitutions Bible by David Joachim at Nigel Khan Bookseller, PricePlaza, Ellerslie Plaza, Gulf City, The Falls, Westmall and Lowlands Mall, Tobago.