What to use instead of scent leaf
Quick answer
The closest option is Basil with Cloves, rated acceptable. Sweet basil gives the herbal, green part and none of the clove; a single clove in the pot, or Thai basil if available, moves it closer. The soup reads as herb-finished rather than as a Nigerian pepper soup.
It will not do for: Long simmering, which sweet basil does not survive; Anywhere the clove smell of scent leaf is the point.
All recorded options
Ranked by suitability. Ratios are given only where they are defensible, and always with their basis — by weight or by volume — because spice densities differ.
Sweet basil gives the herbal, green part and none of the clove; a single clove in the pot, or Thai basil if available, moves it closer. The soup reads as herb-finished rather than as a Nigerian pepper soup.
| Flavour | Aroma | Colour | Heat |
|---|---|---|---|
| partial | partial | close | n/a |
Works for
- Pepper soup made abroad, where scent leaf cannot be found
Does not work for
- Long simmering, which sweet basil does not survive
- Anywhere the clove smell of scent leaf is the point
Cuisine: Scent leaf is part of what a Nigerian pepper soup smells of; without it the dish is recognisable and noticeably less itself.