What do you do when you are missing a particular ingredient? Do you immediately run to the shop? That is the obvious thing to do. But have you ever thought about the purpose of the ingredient in the recipe and see if there’s something in your fridge/pantry that you could replace it with? It could help you use up something that’s been sitting in the dark corners of your cupboard waiting to shine again.

This probably doesn’t work every time you are missing something, but when it does, it’s quite liberating. Here’s an example from Kitty that turned out well. Who knew chickpea flour has the same effect as corn starch? It can be added with water to thicken sauce. Or to meat when stir-frying to keep the moisture. Kitty is no nutritionist but using chickpea flour means adding protein to the dish, right? Extra benefit!

Good luck to your next replacement adventure, all in the spirit of #nowastewednesday.