Friday, January 11, 2013

Asafoetida or Hing

                                      Asafoetida or Hing

Asafoetida or Hing in Hindi is widely used in Indian cuisines.  It is also called devil's dung or sticking gum . The Asafoetida's extraction is interesting.
Actually Asafoetida is the dried latex exuded from the living underground rhizome . These species are native to the mountains of Afghanistan and is mainly cultivated in nearby India.
Asafoetida has a pungent and unpleasant smell when raw , but in cooked dishes , it delivers a smooth flavour. The spice is used as a digestive aid.
In our houses , it is used mainly in 2 forms. As a gum and also a powder. My grand mother uses asafoetida as a gum . She puts water to small amount of gum and leave it. While cooking she adds the water of this soaked gum . It gives a good taste.
My mother uses it in powder form. In this, they mix the resin with large amount of wheat flour . Now the mixure is in powder form and a solid . They put it in sealed plastic containers.
Asafoetida is mainly used as anti - flatulent . It reduces the growth of microflora in the gut , reducing flatulence. When taken with curd , it serves as a medicine for stomach ache.  

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