Although this is not an AIP blog (and there are some AWESOME ones out there), AIP compliant cooking is something I have had to get my head around over the last 2 years for my hubby since his Crohn’s disease reached potentially surgical severity. It has been a brilliant success but it ain’t half complicated!
One of the types of food that need to be cut out (at least initially – some people are able to reintroduce seeds later on) are seeds and nightshades – and that means a lot of spices – are out. The Paleo Mom aka Dr Sarah Ballantyne explains all the details far better than I ever could.
You’d think that leaving bread or pasta or dairy or coffee behind would be the hardest part but actually spices make so many similar dishes much less “samey” and boredom is the downfall of many a “diet”. Without spices a curry or a tagine can become just another stew, an Italian sausage and a German sausage are indistinguishable, and a tomato-free chilli is in danger of slipping into tomato-free bolognese territory.
My first port of call would be to crank up the AIP Friendly flavour ingredients in the dish – in spiced dishes usually cinnamon, cloves, green coriander/cilantro, garlic, ginger, onions, oregano, turmeric etc..
Secondly, whilst it is impossible to come up with a perfect substitute for any spice (and some are best loved in memory and left behind) here are some ideas we have tried – variety being the spice of life and all that (ho ho).
- Cardamom – cinnamon helps replace the fragrance cardamom imparts, and the restrained addition of cloves can replace some of the more medicinal flavours.
- Chilli – nothing can actually replicate the punch of heat (or colour) that comes from those powerful jewel like pods, but ramping up the ginger and adding a touch (seriously a little goes a long way) of wasabi powder can give pep up the pungency of a curry or “hot and spicy” asian dish. (Horseradish has a similar effect, but, being English, my brain goes straight to Roast Beef …) Adding some vinegar for a little mouth-watering sourness can also spice up a curry (think vindaloo) and get some curry leaves for some extra “curry-ness”.
- Coriandar Seeds – dried oregano, a little orange zest and (if I have it) some finely chopped green coriander/cilantro stalk or root.
- Cumin – I have tried ground charred lemon zest (orange is a bit too marmalady) and it does replace the mouth filling earthiness that is lacking when cumin is omitted but it is categorically not the same thing. For anything Middle Eastern, ramping up the preserved lemons would have a similar effect. Oregano replaces some of the grassiness quite well.
- Fennel Seeds – tarragon is the closest I can get, and it works although I would save the prized delicate fresh leaves for a wonderful roast chicken or sauce (or vinegar if you have any left!) and stick to dried from a jar for replicating fennel in a dish, and tripple the quantities. Bulb Fennel is great too, although much more subtle. It’s just as lovely raw and finely sliced as it is treated like (and added with) onion in almost anything.
- Nutmeg – for savoury dishes, mace is terrific (and looks amazingly like fossilised toenails if you can get it unground!) and for sweet dishes, cinnamon and cloves.
- Mustard – the best advice I can give is to learn to love horseradish with beef, and if you’re desperate try a teeny bit of wasabi with ham.
I will update this post if I find anything else that works!
Do any of you AIP cooks have any tried-and-tested spice substitutions? Please share!
The Supper Mum 