You Should Experiment With Small Hing
When it comes to mouth-watering dishes, sometimes the spiciest ingredients are the most important. What would Asian cuisine be like without fermented fish sauce? Or German or Korean cuisine without any sauerkraut? And we all know how cilantro can divide families . Individually, these ingredients can make the unfamiliar turn away, but when combined with additional ingredients in the finished dish, even the most fastidious eaters will not feel their presence, only the harmony of tastes. Hing is no different, and once you master this powerful powder, you can create your own irresistible flavor combinations.
Hing (also called asafoetida ) is the dried and crushed juice from the root of a species of mountain ferula , native to Afghanistan and Iran. While you may forget all of this, you will never forget the strong smell. In Indian cuisine, it is often used in tiny doses, but tiny doesn’t mean unimportant. Hing is one of the brightest flavors I have ever tasted and is completely unique. I had a hard time pinpointing the description or quoting similar flavors for newbies, but I’ll try. Hing tastes and smells like garlic and onions are superheroes wearing sulfur cloaks, and their super strength adds fragrant souls to your meals. It helps, right? Other people have described it quite negatively, but I have a hunch they’re “picking on someone’s yummy”. It smells of what it is: dried, powdered plant resin. I agree that it’s really powerful and a bit funky. But for those who can’t eat real garlic or onions, hing can be a reliable substitute for these flavors. Most importantly, when added to dishes that contain more than six different spices, it can combine everything and add je ne sais quoi .
Because hing is strong and the pure material is sticky (no doubt a characteristic of resin), it is usually sold with rice or wheat starch chopped into it to keep it loose and dry. When you buy a jar, make sure you know if it contains any other starches, like this one from LG Hing, or a cleaner one, like this one from Best Hing Ever . Read the ingredient list carefully to determine how much to add to your meal. I have the Best Hing Ever and the first time I used it, barely ⅛ teaspoon, it overpowered the other elements in my dish. Lesson learned. Now I only had a pinch.
Hing pairs incredibly well with umami-filled dishes, with beans, and anywhere you can add onion or garlic. If you want to start with tried and tested recipes, try masoor dal or rajma dal . To bring out the musky, earthy taste of lentils and the soft taste of warm spices, just add a little hing. If you’re already in the experimental stage, be aware of the quirky onion-garlic flavor profile and explore it. When I think of a hearty, comforting plate of dhal, my mind switches to stews, chili peppers, or meat casseroles. They could do with a touch of hinga with an allium accent to bring out their other zesty flavors.
Note that hing is best paired with dishes when it has a chance to bloom during the cooking process. This usually happens in one of two ways: it is fried in hot fat along with other spices, or sprinkled with a watery ingredient such as chopped tomatoes, or after adding water to a stew. If you are using a cleaner hing, be sure to sprinkle it on. If you toss it all in a heap, the heat of the hot oil can cause the resin granules to stick together again and become a little heavy duty puck instead of spreading all over the dish. Like spicy vinegar for cucumbers or smoke for salmon, experiment a bit with hing and you’ll find that this spicy ingredient is just what you need to make your dishes bloom.