What to use instead of kashmiri chili powder
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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Deep red colour with very little heat
The Kashmiri pod is thin-fleshed and mild, so a tablespoon of it colours a tikka marinade or a rogan josh scarlet where a teaspoon of cayenne would already be too hot to eat.
Sweet paprika plus a pinch of cayenneRan out
1 tbsp sweet paprika + 1/8 tsp cayenne per 1 tbsp Kashmiri
Same red and about the same warmth. Paprika is sweeter and less fruity-sour, so the gravy tastes rounder.
Byadgi chilli powderRan out
1:1
Even redder and milder, with a faint smokiness. It is the standard swap in south Indian kitchens.
Ancho chile powderRan out
1:1
Brick red rather than scarlet, with raisin sweetness. The finished curry looks browner in the pan.
GochugaruRan out
1 1/2 tbsp per 1 tbsp Kashmiri
Bright red and fruity. It is coarse, so it never dissolves smoothly and leaves flecks through a gravy.
What doesn't work: Cayenne or hot chilli powder at the same volume. Kashmiri is roughly a tenth of the heat, so a spoon-for-spoon trade makes a tikka marinade inedible and still comes out a duller orange.
Heat and colour worked into a rub or marinade
Powder clings to a wet surface and blooms in fat or yoghurt, so the heat spreads evenly over the meat instead of arriving in pockets.
American chilli powder blendRan out
1:1
Cumin, oregano and garlic come with it, so pull those back in the recipe. Much milder, and the rub tastes of tacos.
Cayenne plus sweet paprikaRan out
1/4 tsp cayenne + 2 3/4 tsp paprika per 1 tbsp Kashmiri
Matched for heat and colour and missing the fruity note. It browns the same on a grill.
GochugaruRan out
1:1
Fruitier and coarser, which gives the rub a slightly sticky, clumping texture on wet meat.
What doesn't work: Chilli flakes where the recipe wants powder. Flakes never dissolve, so the heat sits in hot spots and the rest of the meat tastes bare, and the pieces scorch on a grill before the inside is done.