Across the Northern Hemisphere, it's the time of year when bean pods turn yellow and dry on the vine. Shell your kidney beans and chickpeas and simmer them in a pot, and they taste mild, but sometimes a heavy aftertaste lingers. In many Indian homes, before the beans go in, the cook shakes a little spice powder into hot oil. That powder is asafoetida, called hing in Indian cooking.
Where Does It Come From?
Asafoetida is the hardened sap of a large plant in the carrot family that grows on the dry plateaus of Iran and Afghanistan. It is native to Iran, harvested in large quantities in Afghanistan, and also grows wild in Uzbekistan. Harvesters cut into the crown of the root, then scrape up the milky sap that seeps out, coming back several times to collect it before letting it harden. The Dongui Bogam (Treasured Mirror of Eastern Medicine), a Korean medical classic from the early 1600s, likewise records that asafoetida comes from Persia, and that when its stalks are cut, a sticky juice runs out and sets hard over time.
The plant itself is difficult to grow in a home garden. It thrives in arid land that gets 80–350 mm of rain a year, at elevations of 600–2,400 m, and grows best between 10 and 20°C. Its thick roots carry it through 35°C summers and winters around −10°C, but it can't tolerate moisture: where water pools, the roots rot. That's why most cooks in rainy climates simply buy it as a powder.
Bloom It in Oil First
Open the jar and a pungent smell rushes out. According to chemical analyses, that odor comes from volatile sulfur compounds in the disulfide family, and their makeup shifts when heated. Warm the powder in oil and the harsh smell softens into something close to sautéed onions and garlic, likely because heat changes the balance of those sulfur compounds. Keep in mind that this research identifies the aroma compounds; it says nothing about their effects on the body.
The Dongui Bogam also describes how to prepare it: grind it to a powder and hold it over a bowl of hot wine before use. It calls asafoetida a curious thing, a substance with a ferocious smell that nonetheless banishes other odors. The idea of heating it before cooking, in other words, shows up in old texts too.
Start by heating oil in a pan over medium heat. Add a pinch of asafoetida, wait a few seconds, then add the rest of your ingredients. Make sure the asafoetida hits the oil before anything else so no raw edge remains. The powder scorches quickly over high heat, so don't turn up the flame.
Into the Pot with Beans and Lentils
Asafoetida turns up most often in dal and chickpea dishes. Dal is an Indian dish of lentils or split pulses simmered until soft. Asafoetida tempers the dull, starchy aftertaste beans can have and adds savory depth. Because it gives off an onion-and-garlic aroma in hot oil, it has long taken the place of both in the Indian vegetarian traditions that avoid them.
If you have kidney beans or chickpeas from your garden already cooked, bloom some asafoetida in oil, then add the beans and water and let it all simmer. Even without garlic, the pot won't taste like anything is missing.
The Order: Cumin, Then Asafoetida, Then Turmeric
Indian home cooks follow a basic sequence. Pop cumin seeds in the oil, add the asafoetida, then follow with ground turmeric.
- Cumin seeds: into hot oil until they crackle and pop
- Asafoetida: just a tiny amount, for just a moment
- Ground turmeric: last of all, just until the color blooms
Adding the turmeric last gives you its golden color with less bitterness. Next time you make dal, follow this order step by step.
Before You Buy, Read the Ingredients
Most asafoetida powder on store shelves isn't pure resin. Many brands blend it with wheat or rice flour to tame the smell. So if you need to avoid wheat, check the ingredient list. Look for grain names on the back of the jar first.
The Dongui Bogam even graded it: dark pieces are unfit for use, while yellowish, crumbly ones are the finest. It describes the taste as pungent and the substance as nontoxic, adding that some consider its nature warming. These are descriptions from a centuries-old medical text and don't reflect modern quality standards or medical judgment.
If you're stopping by a spice shop today, check the label, pick out a jar of asafoetida, and simmer up a pot of dal with the beans from your garden.
Sources: Dongui Bogam, Herbs Section (草部), Asafoetida (阿魏) · Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Food Safety Korea
