Mamta's Kitchen - A Family Cookbook





What is asafoetida powder or hing/heeng

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On 24/10/2007 09:10am, shahzad wrote:

hello,

thanks for regarding cooking.

In each of your recipi you use hing , while i dont remeber what is this thing what it looks like plant origin or chemical ,it is unavailable at my side (china), is there any substitute ?

regards

On 24/10/2007 10:10am, Mamta wrote:

Hello Shazad

Asafoetida (Hindi name hing/heeng), is a gum resin from the roots of a plant called ?ferula vulgaris?. The name asafoetida is mix of Persian word aza for resin and the Latin word fetida for foetid or stinking. It is sometimes called Devil's Dung, because of its strong smell. Once fried in oil, the flavour becomes quite nice. It is used for tempering or ?tarka? in almost every North Indian savoury vegetable and dal dish. Medicinally, it helps in reducing flatulence, often a result of eating lentils and beans. In India, it is heated in ghee and then rubbed into a babies naval, to relieve stomach cramps and flatulence. Use only small quantities.

There is no sunstitute, but you can omit it, if you can't find it.

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