What to use instead of ground coriander
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Citrusy sweet bulk in a curry masala
Coriander seed is the volume spice in most masalas, mild and lemony, and the ground seed thickens the gravy a little as it hydrates.
Ground cumin plus grated lemon zestRan out
3/4 tsp cumin + 1 tsp zest per 1 tbsp coriander
Earthier and much more assertive. The zest covers the citrus side, and the gravy runs thinner without the coriander bulk.
Garam masala, added lateRan out
2 tsp per 1 tbsp coriander, in the last 5 minutes
Warmer and sweeter with clove and cinnamon on top. Long cooking makes it taste stale, so it goes in at the end.
Curry powderRan out
1 tbsp per 1 tbsp coriander, and halve any turmeric in the recipe
Coriander is its main ingredient, so the base lands right. Extra turmeric yellows the gravy and fenugreek pushes it bitter.
Ground carawayRan out
1/2 tsp per 1 tbsp coriander
Same lemony backbone under a heavier rye-bread note. Above half a teaspoon it overpowers everything else in the pan.
What doesn't work: Chopped fresh coriander leaf. Same plant, entirely different flavour: the leaf is grassy and soapy and it collapses in a simmer, so the masala loses its sweet body and gains a wilted-herb taste.
Whole toasted seed for crunch and pop
Whole seeds bloomed in hot oil stay crisp and burst between the teeth, so they are doing texture as much as flavour in a batata harra or a seeded rye.
Cumin seedsRan out
1:1 by volume
Same size and pop, much earthier and darker. The dish reads Levantine rather than bright and citrusy.
Fennel seedsRan out
3/4 the volume
Sweeter with a licorice front. Bigger seeds, so the crunch comes in coarser bursts.
Caraway seedsRan out
1/2 the volume
Hard, sharp and strongly rye-flavoured. This is what a Borodinsky is actually built on.
Brown or black mustard seedsRan out
1:1 by volume
Pops audibly in hot oil and turns nutty rather than citrusy. Put them in first since they need the heat to bloom.
What doesn't work: Ground coriander in hot oil in place of whole seed. Powder burns in about fifteen seconds and goes bitter, and it dissolves, so nothing is left to crunch.
Toast and grind your own. Pre-ground coriander loses its citrus top within a couple of months and what is left is dusty.