Reddit mentions of Rani Asafetida (Hing) Ground 3.75oz (106g) ~ All Natural | Salt Free | Vegan | NON-GMO | Asafoetida Indian Spice | Best for Onion Garlic Substitute

It's very worthwhile, especially if you happen to live near an Indian/international market of some sort and can get the spices cheap (but even ordering online is pretty affordable!). I'm more than happy to help out or answer any questions you might have; I really love talking about this stuff :)

I, uh, have a really bad habit of writing small novels, so I'm appending TL;DR's to all of my answers upfront, haha. Enjoy, and best of luck in your cooking adventures!

> Could I substitute almonds for the cashews/peanuts without detracting too much from the flavor?

Almonds rather than cashews/peanuts should work just fine when it comes to making a nut paste or nut powder (e.g., for thickening sauces), and in fact, I see some recipes that call for almond powder, and my favorite local Indian mart sells it.

When it comes to recipes that call for whole cashews specifically, I'd consider slivered or chopped almonds in their place; whole almonds (especially when they get roasted/fried) are a little crunchier/harder than cooked cashews, so you'll want the pieces to be smaller so it doesn't throw off the texture. Other than that, it should be A-OK to make the switch.

TL;DR: Almonds should almost always work as a replacement, but remember they're harder, so consider using smaller pieces. Adjust cooking times to suit.

> Could I use almond milk in place of coconut milk?

Almond milk may not be quite as thick or sweet as coconut milk/cream (when I call for it in a recipe, I generally mean the canned stuff from the Asian food aisle), but if you like the flavor, I say go for it. Consider reducing the sauce a little more (simmer it longer) and maybe adding a sprinkle of sugar, honey, or jaggery (Indian palm or cane sugar). I'd say that in Thai cuisine, this substitution probably wouldn't fly (the coconut flavor is too intrinsic to the dish), but in other recipes, you might not need the flavor as much or could even be getting it from another source (like shredded coconut).

Particularly for the sambar, I'd maybe throw some dessicated coconut into a spice grinder and adding that, or grind a fresh coconut if you're feeling particularly adventurous. Since there's so much going on, flavor-wise, in sambar, you might never miss it, though. In fact, most sambar powder spice mixes include a little coconut already.

TL;DR: If the coconut flavor doesn't matter or comes from elsewhere, almond milk is A-OK. Cook a little longer since it's not as thick as coconut milk, though.

> Are there any other sweet chutneys you would recommend?

Mango chutney's a popular sweet chutney; it's actually an awesome dip for curry-flavored chicken tenders (rather than a paprika/cayenne/garlic seasoning, try throwing yellow curry powder onto chicken strips before breading and frying/baking them, then dip in mango chutney). I've also seen some pretty good pineapple-based recipes, if you want something a little tangier. Finally, tamarind chutney (I also see tamarind-date) is a very popular Indian sauce; it's brown, fairly thin (thinner than syrup), and quite sweet and a little tangy. It's usually one of the sauces restaurants bring out with pappadums, so you've probably had it before.

A lot of Indian chutneys and pickles are very sour, salty, or spicy (and sometimes all three), and serve a similar role to, say, a shaker of Crystal-brand hot sauce in a Cajun household (or a jug of Srirachi in a college student's apartment). People drizzle some chutney into their rice or on top of their food to kick it up a notch. Just noting that since, if you just grab a random jar of say, carrot pickle, off the shelf somewhere, you should expect it to be pretty intense!

TL;DR: Mango chutney rocks! Tamarind chutney is also popular and amazing.

> What kind of mustard seeds are you using?

I use black mustard seeds in Indian cuisine for the most part. I can't imagine that yellow would make too big of a difference: you're mostly seeking that pungent, earthy, tangy, acrid mustard flavor, and if one variety is stronger than the other, I bet the difference isn't large.

TL;DR: Black mustard seeds for Indian food, but yellow work okay, too.

> Is there a particular reason you recommend curry leaves instead of curry powder. . .

Curry leaves in particular are a bizarre case that have to do with the imperfect translation of very complicated, regional food cultures from all across India through the British Raj's somewhat. . . simplistic lens. We just call any wet Indian dish a curry, call a premade spice mix to dump into said dishes curry powder, and call these leaves the South Indians love to munch on curry, too! In truth, different parts of India meant different things with the word.

Specifically, curry leaves taste very different from curry powder (that's usually a mix of cumin, coriander, turmeric, cloves, and cinnamon). They're much earthier, not nearly as sweet, and have a very pungent, umami-esque flavor with herbiness and more, too, and are mostly used to infuse the cooking oil in S. Indian cuisine. Unfortunately, they're very unique, and you pretty much have to use them to get the flavor just right. Hing serves a very similar role in S. Indian food, so even if you only have that, you'll get pretty close!

Lucky note: curry leaves freeze really well and maintain their flavor for months. One modest sized baggy could last you a very long time!

TL;DR: Curry leaves taste very different from curry powder and serve a different role. To get the best flavor, you gotta have 'em if you can find em.

> And tamarind paste/concentrate as opposed to the powder?

This is probably a totally okay substitute; tamarind is there for a fruity tartness; it reminds me a little bit of artificial grape, but much more sour and a little "deeper" in tone. The powder should get you there, too, but you'll want to play with the amounts. Tamarind paste (taking a block of dried tamarind and soaking it in boiling water) is fairly weak, ounce for ounce, while tamarind concentrate (boiled tamarind juice in a jar) is pretty strong. I imagine the powder is even more concentrated, so go easy on it if you use it :)

TL;DR: Yep, powder is fine, but will probably be pretty darn sour. Go light!

> Is parboiled rice really necessary in the dosa batter, as opposed to say a brown rice?

Different kinds of rice and lentils lend different properties to the dosa batter, but in a very general sense, more urad dal = thicker, fluffier, gloopier batter (better for uttapams and vadai) while more long grain rice = crispier, thinner, lighter batter (better for idlys and dosai). Parboiled rice adds a slightly different texture than raw basmati (which also lends a strong, lovely aroma to the finished product), and flattened rice (poha) changes things in its own unique way, too.

Most people have their own "preferred" mix--some folks say you gotta have 4 parts rice to 1 part dal, others say 2.5:1. Some folks say you need a bit of chana dal for flavor or color, etc.

In the end, the only essential parts are some kinda rice and fresh, whole, skinless urad dals. The rice will add the crispiness (even brown rice will do it, though it will lend a nuttier flavor than white rice) you want, even in uttapams, and the lentils provide bulk and the all-important fungus that makes the batter ferment and get aerated properly (you can use cooking soda as a quick shortcut though, and if your local grocer only carries old, bad-quality urad dal where all the healthy, naturally occurring fungus has long since died off, that might be your only bet!).

The ratio I write in the recipes I linked is just my personal favorite right now. I've been making a lot of mysore masala dosa "sandwiches" to bring to work, and that recipe is a really good balance of crispy (cuz texture is awesome) and fluffy (because being able to fold the sandwich without breaking it makes my food prettier, haha). It's hardly the be-all, end-all of dosa batter, though!

Long answer short, yeah, brown rice is A-OK. Play with your ratio of rice to dal, or different kinds of rice, to make a batter that you personally enjoy. Urad dal is pretty much essential, though.