Phew! Asafoetida Storage

[nessa]

Ok, so I've got the powdered asafoetida, in a canister thing. I put it in a plastic baggie when I started noticing the odor. It came back, so I put it in a double plastic baggie. Its back. What gives? How do you store asafoetida so that it's..... fragrance..... is contained?

[gingerly]

a small glass jar will do it .mine i like to store in a small tin since it reminds me of the way it used to be packaged before plastic.an altoids tin to be precise..

love the look on peoples faces when they open the tin that sits incongrously in my spice rack .heh!

[tanabutler]

I am not making this up. Bought some, unaware that the etymology of the name come from "fetid."

Mine was contained in two zipped baggies. Then put inside a small jar (screwed tight) within a bigger jar (screwed tight). Put OUTSIDE in the garage, with full ventilation, fifteen feet from the kitchen.

It still smelled like rotting zombies, so I went ahead and buried in the ground. I should have put a stake through its heart, but no.

Like they say in "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas":

Stink. Stank. Stunk.

I could never buy or use it again.

[gingerly]

not called 'devils' dung ' for nothing!but heat and fat can work wonders!

try again...go on ..be a devil.

[Swati]

Usually the smell is contained by storing the hing in a jar with a tightly screwed lid

[tanabutler]

Read my post. I stored it in two Baggies inside two jars, all sealed tightly.

Good luck containing that smell. I bet half the calls to 911 (e.g., "I think he's got a dead body buried in his basement") are, in fact, alerts to asofoetida in only four layers of containment.

[Pan]

Sheesh, Tana, you must have gotten strong stuff! My parents keep their asafoetida in the little yellow plastic container they got it in, and it doesn't seem to have affected anything much else. Did you have 100% pure stuff? The stuff I've found around here is adulterated with other ingredients (including corn starch, I think).

[tanabutler]

Mine smelled like my worst nightmares of Jonestown, from thirty feet away. Seriously. Just unbearably dank and rancid.

I should shut up, but I'm wondering about the statute of limitations.

heh

[gingerly]

Did you have 100% pure stuff? The stuff I've found around here is adulterated with other ingredients (including corn starch, I think).

i didn't read any mention of cooking with the stuff tanabutler!and er ..ah..would your dealer have a contact..

[Pan]

My dealer? I just buy the stuff at Dowel, my local Bangladeshi store in the East Village.

[Mabelline]

nessa, I reckon you will have to move! tryska and I talked about it once, and I just could not comprehend the pioneer era habit of hanging a bag of it around your kids' necks! Imagine what your house would smell like with 8 or 10 sprouts running around...YIKES!!!

[nessa]

Well at least it does not escape the pantry door. I'll figure something out, I'll try a jar and bring home some parafilm from work to seal it with. I will not let it get the best of me. NEVAH SURRENDAH!

[Episure]

I am not making this up. Bought some, unaware that the etymology of the name come from "fetid."

Mine was contained in two zipped baggies. Then put inside a small jar (screwed tight) within a bigger jar (screwed tight). Put OUTSIDE in the garage, with full ventilation, fifteen feet from the kitchen.

It still smelled like rotting zombies, so I went ahead and buried in the ground. I should have put a stake through its heart, but no.

Like they say in "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas":

Stink. Stank. Stunk.

I could never buy or use it again.

You are exaggerating and making me laugh.

You should have tried a lead lined container.

Even fish sauce( nam pla) smells objectionable but not when it is in the food.

[Modern Day Hermit]

I keep mine in a tightly sealed glass jar.

Mmmm, asafoetida and fish sauce....tasty!

[uberleet]

I am not making this up. Bought some, unaware that the etymology of the name come from "fetid."

Mine was contained in two zipped baggies. Then put inside a small jar (screwed tight) within a bigger jar (screwed tight). Put OUTSIDE in the garage, with full ventilation, fifteen feet from the kitchen.

It still smelled like rotting zombies, so I went ahead and buried in the ground. I should have put a stake through its heart, but no.

Like they say in "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas":

Stink. Stank. Stunk.

I could never buy or use it again.

I believe you.

In 1991, I got a little bag of asafoetida, double-bagged it and put it in a blue plastic box and stashed it on the stoop of my apartment...I could STILL smell it inside. I finally got rid of it...I still have the blue box, and it still reeks of asafoetida!

I bought a little little yellow plastic container of it at the indian market, and it smells fine, so it can be done.

[FaustianBargain]

My mother buys them in the chunky resin form. apparently, its more pure than the powdered version...you soak them in water or powder it just before adding it to hot oil etc...call me crazy but, i actually like asofetida... ...seriously, it can dramatically change the blandest of tastes...its worth the 'stink'

[Pan]

I also like asafoetida.

[Sleepy_Dragon]

The stuff I've been getting must be seriously adulterated, I've never noticed any issues like this! I just keep mine in a glass jar sealed with a glass and rubber ring stopper.

Pat

[whippy]

the smell of asafoetida is way too mixed up in my head with cooking and eating for me to dislike it. wish i could find some of the whole pieces.

what brands are people using? i've got vandevi which is yellow and milder (ingredients: gum arabic, wheat, rice flour, asafoetida, turmeric) and l.g. which is gray-brown and richer (edible gum, wheat flour, asafoetida). looks like there are quite a few things in my asafoetida!

whippy

[Peppertrail]

My mother buys them in the chunky resin form. apparently, its more pure than the powdered version...you soak them in water or powder it just before adding it to hot oil etc...call me crazy but, i actually like asofetida... ...seriously, it can dramatically change the blandest of tastes...its worth the 'stink'

South Indian vegetable curries are often garnished with a large pinch of asafoetida sautéed in a spoonful of oil or ghee. When asafoetida is added to hot oil, it changes from its strong and powerful smell to an oniony-garlicky aroma. Strict vegetarian diets of India forbid the use onions and garlic, and asafoetida is used in their place for its distinct aroma. It is used in the cooking of various pulses, beans and certain vegetables, certain savory snacks, pickles and chutneys. It is considered a digestive aid and it helps to neutralize flatulence.

Asafoetida resin comes from certain species of giant fennels. These perennial plants are native to the region between the Mediterranean and Central Asia. Three different species are used in the production of asafoetida, each of which shows slight differences in color and properties. Both ferula assafoetida and ferula foetida are native to Iran and Afghanistan and ferula narthex is a native of Afghanistan. Even though most of the world’s production of asafoetida comes from Iran and Afghanistan, India is the major consumer of this spice.

It is sold either as lumps or in powdered form. The lump asafoetida is the most common form of pure asafoetida. In making commercially ground asafoetida the resins are combined with small quantities of rice, barley or wheat flour to prevent lumping and to reduce the strong flavor. Processed asafoetida often varies in color and texture because of the difference in additives. It is available as either mustard yellow powder or sandy brown coarse powder.

Asafoetida has remained a part of the Indian spice box for centuries and continues to be used both in cooking and in medicine in India. The ancient Sanskrit text Kashyapa Samhita (circa 200 BC) mentions about the import of asafoetida from Afghanistan. Asafoetida’s use as a tenderizer and preservative for meat was known centuries ago. Iranian cuisine uses it for flavoring meatballs and in Afghanistan it is used in the preparation of dried meat. Although this spice is practically unknown in modern western cuisines, it is used in the United States and Europe in commercially prepared flavorings.

The strong smelling and sparingly used asafoetida has an interesting history. Its predecessor silphium (also known as silphion or lasar), the wonderful spice from the region of Cyrene (now in modern Libya) was in great demand in the classical kitchens of Ancient Rome and Greece. However, true silphium became extinct by the end of 1st century A.D. Asafoetida, as a substitute for silphium emerged into prominence during Alexander the Great’s invasion of Asia that began in the spring of 334 AD. While crossing the northeastern provinces of the Persian Empire, his soldiers discovered a plant that was almost identical with silphium. Although not quite so good, it made a perfect substitute for silphium in tenderizing hard meat. Asafoetida was cultivated for both medicinal purposes and for the use as a spice.

To read more about silphium and asafoetida please go the following link on my web site - http://www.peppertrail.com/php/displayCont...&parent_link=10

Ammini

edited for typos

Edited May 31, 2004 by Peppertrail (log)

[FaustianBargain]

the smell of asafoetida is way too mixed up in my head with cooking and eating for me to dislike it.  wish i could find some of the whole pieces.

what brands are people using?  i've got vandevi which is yellow and milder (ingredients:  gum arabic, wheat, rice flour, asafoetida, turmeric) and l.g. which is gray-brown and richer (edible gum, wheat flour, asafoetida).  looks like there are quite a few things in my asafoetida!

whippy

the resin chunks dont smell much actually..using asofetida powder is like..well..using powdered saffron...not truly great...and the trick is to use it with extreme caution...very very very little...and always in hot oil(altho' my favourite drink is diluted buttermilk(cool) with asofetida, salt, curry leaves and other lubly things that slips my memory)..and did i mention that it has to be used sparingly?..much like edible camphor...something that is unknown in most parts of the world except south east asia....a very small pinch will do..more than what is sufficient will completely ruin the flavours and overwhelm everything..including your appetite...brand...LG...how can i forget....always LG...its been around for ages.....LG is available in both solid and powdered forms...i know this because i was made to walk back to the grocery store...because i got the wrong brand...at the tender age of 12 even!...

Edited May 31, 2004 by Lalitha (log)

[Sleepy_Dragon]

South Indian vegetable curries are often garnished with a large pinch of asafoetida sautéed in a spoonful of oil or ghee. When asafoetida is added to hot oil, it changes from its strong and powerful smell to an oniony-garlicky aroma. Strict vegetarian diets of India forbid the use onions and garlic, and asafoetida is used in their place for its distinct aroma. It is used in the cooking of various pulses, beans and certain vegetables, certain savory snacks, pickles and chutneys. It is considered a digestive aid and it helps to neutralize flatulence.

(...)

Thanks for all that info, peppertrail. Interesting stuff.

Though to be honest I've never noticed asafetida helping at all in the flatulence department, especially for channa dal. But I keep adding it with a heart full of hope! Among other things.

Plus it tastes good anyway.

whippy: The brand I've got right now is powdered L.G. as well. The one before this batch was Laxmi brand, and wasn't as nice.

Pat

[Pompollo]

Interesting timing for this to show up. I have to laugh at the coincidence of asafoetida showing up as a topic. It showed up for the first time at my home on Sunday.

I live in Japan and recently went to India and ate myself to death...

That being the case, I am now at egullet discovering how to cook, besides just eat, Indian food. I started looking at cookbooks and recipes and figuring out what needs to go in ny Indian spice rack. I compiled a list and gave it to an Indian friend living in the States who was coming on Sunday to visit. (Unusual spices are cheaper and more readily available in the States.) Although unbeknowgst to me (about the potent aroma, that is), I saw that it is a spice often used in recipces, so I asked her to bring some.

Well, my spices arrived individually wrapped, but placed all together in a large shopping bag. For the life of me for two days I couldn't figure out what THAT SMELL was. I wondered what had gotten rotten and why do all my spices have that digusting. particular smell that wreaked all the time. I was afraid they were all ruined. I finally had to investigate and my nose narrowed it down to the little bottle of LG Asafoetida. It's not even opened yet, but to stiffle my olfactory organ, I double wrapped it in two baggies and put it on top of the dish cabinet. It kind of smells if I go near, but if I stay away from the shelf, it's o.k. I am afraid to store it near anything edible. As a consolidation, I am glad she bought LG, as that seems to be THE brand according to Lalitha's post above.

And, now my questions are: Is this stuff safe to use in food? Meaning it smells so strong that if I put into any recipes, I am afraid the whole dish will taste, and worse SMELL, so bad that I won't be able to eat it.

When cooked, does the smell mellow out? And does it blend in well with the other ingredients/spices to make a dish taste good?

[nessa]

Yeah... keep bagging it, Pompollo.

I too, am teaching myself, with the help of all the lovely folks here, how to cook Indian food. I naievely went out and bought the asafoetida and brought it back to my den. That was two weeks ago. I've yet to use it, tho this week I will.

All that I've read and heard points to it being perfectly safe for consumption, and that when cooked, especially in oil, the odor goes away, or is changed to one more pleasant. It doesnt really smell *foul* to me, just.... very pungent. It reminds me strongly of onions, perhaps just past their prime. Anyway, I've also been led to believe that just a pinch is plenty.

Edited June 1, 2004 by nessa (log)

[FaustianBargain]

South Indian vegetable curries are often garnished with a large pinch of asafoetida sautéed in a spoonful of oil or ghee. When asafoetida is added to hot oil, it changes from its strong and powerful smell to an oniony-garlicky aroma. Strict vegetarian diets of India forbid the use onions and garlic, and asafoetida is used in their place for its distinct aroma. It is used in the cooking of various pulses, beans and certain vegetables, certain savory snacks, pickles and chutneys. It is considered a digestive aid and it helps to neutralize flatulence. 

(...)

Thanks for all that info, peppertrail. Interesting stuff.

Though to be honest I've never noticed asafetida helping at all in the flatulence department, especially for channa dal. But I keep adding it with a heart full of hope! Among other things.

Plus it tastes good anyway.

whippy: The brand I've got right now is powdered L.G. as well. The one before this batch was Laxmi brand, and wasn't as nice.

Pat

i think ginger helps in the flatulence dept too..wrt channa dhal..do you mean the pulse or the bean...aka garbanzo/ceci...channa dhal isnt any diff or worse from the other dhals..the worst offender, imo, is urad dhal...i prefer asofetida..but then again..i like being a smelly bum....