Have you ever had the problem where you didn’t have the correct ingredients for the dish you are making? Rest assured that there is something you can use instead of the ingredient you don’t have available. Here are few ingredients that can be substituted.

Allspice – Allspice is a mixture of different spices that can be used on chicken and other meat. A substitute for one teaspoon of Allspice is half a teaspoon of cinnamon, a quarter teaspoon of ginger and a quarter teaspoon of cloves.

Baking Powder – Baking powder is used in many confectionaries. To achieve one teaspoon of baking powder, mix a quarter teaspoon of baking soda with half a teaspoon of cream of tartar. Baking soda requires an acid to activate it to achieve the dish you are preparing. Baking powder already has the cream of tartar in.

Lemon Grass – this herb is used in many eastern dishes for a lemon flavour. Although, lemon grass is easy to find, however you may not have the time to go to the store to get this ingredient. An easy substitute is grating the zest of half a lemon.

Saffron – there are some recipes that require a pinch of saffron. Unfortunately, this spice is very expensive and not many people are willing to spend money on a spice for just one dish. A cheaper and easy substitute for a quarter teaspoon of saffron is using a quarter teaspoon of turmeric.

Cream of Tartar – cream of tartar is used to activate the baking soda. It is a type of acid that can be replaced with either lemon juice or vinegar. Use the same amount of the latter instead of the cream of tartar.

Sour Cream – it’s difficult to find another dairy product with the similarity of sour cream. Plain yogurt is the best substitute to use when you are running low on sour cream. Both have gone through a similar process and can be used instead of the other.

Ghee – not many people are able to find ghee. The best substitute for ghee is to use the same amount of cooking oil or butter. The taste might differ slightly but the dish will still taste good.

Take into consideration that your dish might not taste the way it normally would if any of these ingredients is used instead of the required ingredients. But it can still give the recipe a good flavour twist.