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Re: Asafoetida - anyone got a good way to use it? Bought it a while ago because of an Indian curry recipe that called for 1/8 of tsp per bucket, but never got

by eps 9y ago

Re: Asafoetida - anyone got a good way to use it? Bought it a while ago because of an Indian curry recipe that called for 1/8 of tsp per bucket, but never got around to actually adding it, because of its eye-popping burnt rubber aroma.

X86BSD 9y ago
Is that the salt or the black garlic? Because both of those are vile ingredients. I've had them and they just do not belong in my western pallet.
- eps 9y ago
  It's in a form of a beige very fine powder.
  - infinite8s 9y ago
    It's the dried (and ground) sap of a plant - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asafoetida https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asafoetida
rebuilder 9y ago
The aroma changes significantly when cooked.
sandGorgon 9y ago
Most indian cooking, especially lentils use it. It's always used in tempering, which means you add it in hot oil a few seconds before you dunk it in the dish. It is also used as a replacement for garlic in dishes, for people who refuse garlic for religious reasons.
- mabbo 9y ago
  > for people who refuse garlic for religious reasons I've never heard of this. What religions ban garlic? (and pity for them, I love it!)
  - zrth 9y ago
    I would guess that op is referring to "conformist" as the religious group in question..
  - sandGorgon 9y ago
    Jain religion as well as certain offshoots of Hinduism itself. Onions and garlic are thought to promote carnal thoughts and violate the "sattvik" food lifestyle. Very interestingly, Kashmiri Hindus eat meat, but are forbidden onions or garlic.
  - KGIII 9y ago
    Buddhists. Some choose to not consume the five pungent plants. Why? Because they believe they stink.
  - kbouck 9y ago
    Jainism is one. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jainism#Food_and_fasting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jainism#Food_and_fasting
  - masklinn 9y ago
    Jain vegetarianism (strictly interpreted) bans root vegetables (amongst many other things), in Gujarat restaurants (already vegetarian) have special symbols to mark "jain-safe" items in the same way western restaurants might mark vegetarian or kosher/halal items.
  - epmaybe 9y ago
    I'll try and explain why Jains do not eat garlic (along with other rooted vegetables like onions and potatoes): When taking out the entire plant, you also take out any organisms like bugs and such from their ecosystem, killing them in the process. Jains try and limit the amount of violence they cause (Ahimsa), so in turn they try and avoid eating rooted vegetables. On top of this, by removing the whole plant you prevent them from sprouting again, which is effectively "killing" in Jainism. All of this being said though, modern agriculture techniques kind of make this reasoning insignificant. Mass farming practices mean that all plants are effectively killed along with any organisms in that area when harvesting. And to top it all off, many Jains do not follow this practice, at least in the US. Many of my family eat all of these things, maybe trying to avoid them during Paryushan (holy week).
sambeau 9y ago
It's an amazing aromatic addition to potato curry. Just a tiny drop (1/4 teaspoon) adds a subtle dimension to a large pot of potatoes. It's almost like a flavour enhancer. A word of warning: It is very potent. I store mine in a pot wrapped in two sealed plastic bags which is in turn put in a sealed jar. My spices cupboard still reeks of it the moment I open it.
wlll 9y ago
Just put it in, it's pretty amazing when the food is cooked :)
- detritus 9y ago
  Yeah, I've hoyed it into a wide variety of dishes, especially when cooking 'under the influence' and found it goes with a wide variety of foods. I think "if a dish would benefit from onions or garlic, then a pinch of fetid ass would go as well"
viewtransform 9y ago
Asafoetida - "The devils dung" http://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/200904/devil.s.dung-the.world.s.smelliest.spice.htm http://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/200904/devil.s.dung-the... The most awful smelling spice in my cupboard. I have to put the spice bottle in a zip lockbag that is then put in another larger airtight glass jar otherwise the entire house smells like it. Is used in Indian cooking - a pinch in hot oil transforms into a subtle flavor and aroma that people claim to be a replacement for onions and garlic. Used extensively in Jain cooking since the Jain religion prohibits use of onion and garlic in food. See http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/ http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/ for delicious vegetarian Jain recipes. Almost all her traditional recipes use asafoetida (aka "hing" in indian recipes). Look for her recipes around 2012/13 since those are the home cooked recipes before she went viral in the indian community. This recipe with potatoes is simple http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/aloo-jeera-potatoes-with-cumin-seeds/ http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/aloo-jeera-potatoes-with-cumi... . Use lemon juice as a replacement for mango powder.

by eps 9y ago

X86BSD 9y ago

Is that the salt or the black garlic? Because both of those are vile ingredients. I've had them and they just do not belong in my western pallet.

eps 9y ago
It's in a form of a beige very fine powder.
- infinite8s 9y ago
  It's the dried (and ground) sap of a plant - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asafoetida https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asafoetida

rebuilder 9y ago

The aroma changes significantly when cooked.

sandGorgon 9y ago

Most indian cooking, especially lentils use it. It's always used in tempering, which means you add it in hot oil a few seconds before you dunk it in the dish. It is also used as a replacement for garlic in dishes, for people who refuse garlic for religious reasons.

mabbo 9y ago
> for people who refuse garlic for religious reasons I've never heard of this. What religions ban garlic? (and pity for them, I love it!)
- zrth 9y ago
  I would guess that op is referring to "conformist" as the religious group in question..
- sandGorgon 9y ago
  Jain religion as well as certain offshoots of Hinduism itself. Onions and garlic are thought to promote carnal thoughts and violate the "sattvik" food lifestyle. Very interestingly, Kashmiri Hindus eat meat, but are forbidden onions or garlic.
- KGIII 9y ago
  Buddhists. Some choose to not consume the five pungent plants. Why? Because they believe they stink.
- kbouck 9y ago
  Jainism is one. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jainism#Food_and_fasting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jainism#Food_and_fasting
- masklinn 9y ago
  Jain vegetarianism (strictly interpreted) bans root vegetables (amongst many other things), in Gujarat restaurants (already vegetarian) have special symbols to mark "jain-safe" items in the same way western restaurants might mark vegetarian or kosher/halal items.
- epmaybe 9y ago
  I'll try and explain why Jains do not eat garlic (along with other rooted vegetables like onions and potatoes): When taking out the entire plant, you also take out any organisms like bugs and such from their ecosystem, killing them in the process. Jains try and limit the amount of violence they cause (Ahimsa), so in turn they try and avoid eating rooted vegetables. On top of this, by removing the whole plant you prevent them from sprouting again, which is effectively "killing" in Jainism. All of this being said though, modern agriculture techniques kind of make this reasoning insignificant. Mass farming practices mean that all plants are effectively killed along with any organisms in that area when harvesting. And to top it all off, many Jains do not follow this practice, at least in the US. Many of my family eat all of these things, maybe trying to avoid them during Paryushan (holy week).

sambeau 9y ago

It's an amazing aromatic addition to potato curry. Just a tiny drop (1/4 teaspoon) adds a subtle dimension to a large pot of potatoes. It's almost like a flavour enhancer. A word of warning: It is very potent. I store mine in a pot wrapped in two sealed plastic bags which is in turn put in a sealed jar. My spices cupboard still reeks of it the moment I open it.

wlll 9y ago

Just put it in, it's pretty amazing when the food is cooked :)

detritus 9y ago
Yeah, I've hoyed it into a wide variety of dishes, especially when cooking 'under the influence' and found it goes with a wide variety of foods. I think "if a dish would benefit from onions or garlic, then a pinch of fetid ass would go as well"

viewtransform 9y ago

Asafoetida - "The devils dung" http://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/200904/devil.s.dung-the.world.s.smelliest.spice.htm http://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/200904/devil.s.dung-the... The most awful smelling spice in my cupboard. I have to put the spice bottle in a zip lockbag that is then put in another larger airtight glass jar otherwise the entire house smells like it. Is used in Indian cooking - a pinch in hot oil transforms into a subtle flavor and aroma that people claim to be a replacement for onions and garlic. Used extensively in Jain cooking since the Jain religion prohibits use of onion and garlic in food. See http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/ http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/ for delicious vegetarian Jain recipes. Almost all her traditional recipes use asafoetida (aka "hing" in indian recipes). Look for her recipes around 2012/13 since those are the home cooked recipes before she went viral in the indian community. This recipe with potatoes is simple http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/aloo-jeera-potatoes-with-cumin-seeds/ http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/aloo-jeera-potatoes-with-cumi... . Use lemon juice as a replacement for mango powder.