Asafetida (asafoetida), A.K.A. hing

[hvn_nbr_2]

Anyone know what to do with asafetida?

I picked some up at a new Indian grocery store nearby, remembering that it was an ingredient in a tofu recipe from a tofu cooking class I took many years ago. However, now I can't find the recipes from that class.

My herb book has some interesting info about it, but it's a book that's mainly about traditional medicinal uses of herbs, and it doesn't say anything about cooking with it. I figure that anything which is called both "devil's dung" and "food of the gods" must be interesting.

[Bullwinkle925]

1. sounds interesting - now i'll have to surf the web.

[KittyWampus]

2. In Buddhist cooking it's used as a replacement for onion as their diet

rejects stimulating foods like onion and garlic.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it's considered very warming and used to resolve accumulation of stagnated fluids In other words, it
tends to promote digestive functions.

[cmf]

3. Man, I hate that stuff

My grandmother kept at jar of asafoetida in the fridge for treating various digestive problems. I learned early on never to fake a stomach ache to try to get out of school.

Anyway, I think that some Indians (as in the subcontinent) use it in place of garlic in their cooking.

[kestrel91316]

4. Odd, stinky stuff. I don't recommend you throw it in just anything.

If the recipe calls for it, then use it. Otherwise, DON'T.

[noamnety]

5. I have a few recipes with it

It's the dried latex from giant fennel rhizomes.

Generally, you can put a pinch of it in a pan of hot oil before adding other ingredients - frying it mellows the smell.

Mild lentil curry:

2 cups yellow lentils (soaked for 30 minutes and drained)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon asafetida
salt
2 tablespoons ghee

cook lentils in 3 1/2 cups water til very soft.
add everything except the ghee, simmer for 5 minutes
serve over plain rice with a spoonful of ghee.


Vaingan Kholombo (smoky lentils)

1 cup split red lentils
1 small eggplant, cubed
3 1/3 cups water
salt
1 teaspoon taramind pulp diluted in 2 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon kholombo powder (see below)
4 teaspoons peanut oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
4 crumbled dried red chilis
large pinch asafetida
12 curry leaves

simmer lentils and eggplant til soft
add salt, tamarind and kholombo powder and bring to boil, take off heat.
In another pan, heat the oil, add the mustard seed and cook til it crackles, then add chilis and asafetida and curry leaves.
Sautee for a minute, then pour over the lentils. Serve over rice.



Kholombo Powder

2 teaspoons coriander seeds
8 dried curry leaves
2 teaspoons cumin
4 cloves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
3/4 inch stick cinnamon
3 tablespoons flaked coconut
2 tablespoons split gram lentils (channa dal)
2 tablespoons split black lentils (urad dal)
1 tablespoon corn oil

Sautee all the spices in hot oil until the lentils are dark brown and it smells a bit like wood smoke. cool, and grind to a powder. Put the unused portion in an airtight container, and use within a few months.