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HI SPICE

A pinch is enough!

Flavourful Asafeotida is generally used in vegetarian dishes

Eat a delicious heavy meal and you might repent at leisure. Know the bloated feeling? Indigestion is the enemy of gastronomic bliss. Luckily, the wise people of yore equipped Indian cuisine with the right spices to deal with such situations. Asafoeti da (hing) is one of those gifts. Speaking of enemies, its odour before cooking is enough to frighten away the most formidable of foes! So potent is it that when newborn babies suffer from colic, a bit of hing is rubbed just below their navel and lo! The pain seems to vanish.

Largely found in India and Iran, asafoetida is a dried, resin-like substance obtained from the rhizomes of a fennel-like plant. Some believe it was used as a contraceptive in Roman times. Legend has it that it was encountered by the soldiers of Alexander the Great on their march through Central Asia. The conquests of Alexander opened trade routes that made Eastern commodities available in the Mediterranean region, and, like black pepper, asafoetida established itself quickly in the new market.

The juice of both stem and root is used in cooking. In the spring, when the plant is about to bloom, the stems and roots are cut, and the milky resin is scraped off.

Asafoetida has a sulphurous aroma and a bitter, acrid taste. But when fried in oil it adds a wonderful aroma and taste. It has been used to treat certain neurological disorders, gastric and bronchial problems as well. It is available in powder and lump form in the market. Master Chef Shankaran of Dakshin restaurant of New Delhi’s ITC Sheraton says the spice should be stored in an airtight container, otherwise its overpowering odour spoils the flavour of other spices. “It helps in checking flatulence. By adding asafoetida to so-called heavy dishes, you can keep them light.”

Shankaran recommends its use in sambar and rasam. “The right quantity is a must with asafoetida; otherwise it can spoil the dish. For two cups of sambar a pinch of asafoetida is enough.” Apart from South Indian cuisine, asafoetida is also used liberally in Gujarati and North Indian vegetarian dishes like rajma (kidney beans) and masoor dal. It is used by many Jains as a replacement for the traditionally prohibited onion and garlic.

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