What is asafoetida and top tips on when and how to use it.

[@AudreyBertrand-mp9tz]

Hello Sarina, just to say that I was curious to learn more about hing and got to listen to your 2 videos, they are both very professional, well explained, your video editing is AMAZING and love your passion about spices and your content! Thank you for making these videos, they are very informative and pleasant to listen to!

[@sarinakamini-thespicemistress]

Thank you ☺. It is always so gratifying to hear. I'm really pleased you took the time to message me!

[@NeilMeyer-px4os]

I do add it to my onions. I feel it uplifts the frying of a bit of onion pretty well. It has lovely celery and fennel flavours. People say it stink, I think it just smells of a very strong celery and fennel mix. It also gives great UMAMI flavours without the use of MSG. It is pretty excellent natural MSG substitute, I have found.

[@sarinakamini-thespicemistress]

Sometimes I do, too. It does smell quite pungent, but considerations of beauty are as subjective as anything else-I think familiarity breeds a different kind of relationship to pungent spice. We learn to appreciate them for the strength of what they offer. I love your tasting notes! Celery and fennel. Never considered that before :)

[@shumpraso]

Helpful video. To cooking, do you add the soaked asafoetida or the soaking water? And what's the purpose of soaking the resin rather than using it straight? Does it alter the texture or taste profile?

[@sarinakamini-thespicemistress]

Soaking the asafoetida dissolves it, so that it becomes hing water. When you use hing water as opposed to hing or asafoetida powder, you are getting a much softer, nuanced taste, and an easier more even dispersal. Spice that is dispersed easily and well is more integrated, and so its taste is less obvious. Generally with masala, we steer clear of creating a singular obvious taste in favour of creating a singular, obvious message. The resin is very, very strong which is why we don't use it straight. You'll see in the video that I use maybe a pinky fingernail worth of asafoetida in a small jar of water, and that small jar of hing water will be used throughout myriad cooks. Thanks so much for your questions-I loved answering them!

[@shumpraso]

​@@sarinakamini-thespicemistress No, thank you! I've only ever used the powder or resin straight and I can relate to what you say about both. Looking forward to noticing the difference hing water will make now.