✦ Onion-garlic substitute when cooked
✦ Digestive spice tradition
✦ Tiny quantities: very potent
✦ Jain cuisine essential
Asafoetida (hing) is a pungent dried resin from the roots of Ferula plants, used in tiny quantities in Indian cooking, particularly in lentil dishes and vegetable preparations. Its powerful sulphurous smell transforms on cooking into a mild, onion-garlic flavour. It is valued as a digestive spice and is used by Jain and some Hindu communities who avoid onion and garlic.
🍳
Preparation note
Use a pinch (1/8 teaspoon or less) per recipe — it is extremely pungent raw. Add directly to hot oil at the start of cooking for 5-10 seconds to bloom and mellow the flavour before adding other ingredients.
Sources:
CoFID 2021
Where Asafoetida Stands Out
Macronutrients per 100g
108
kJ
Energy
4.00
g
Protein
1.10
g
Fat
Vitamins & Minerals
| Nutrient | Per 100g | % Daily Value* | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calcium | 690 mg | 86% | |
| Phosphorus | 50.0 mg | 7% | |
| Iron | 22.2 mg | 159% | |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 0.330 µg | 0% | |
| Niacin (B3) | 0.300 mg | 2% | |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.040 mg | 3% | |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Vitamin C | 0.000 mg | 0% | |
| Vitamin D | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Cholesterol | 0.000 mg | — | |
| Beta-carotene | 4.00 µg | — | |
| Retinol (vitamin A) | 0.000 µg | 0% |
Sources:
CoFID 2021