A pungent resin, sharp and oniony raw, soft and savoury once it meets hot ghee.
In the pot
Buy a good compounded hing in a small tin and keep the lid tight. A pinch is the entire dose for a pot of dal. It must go into hot fat, never directly into water, or it stays raw and acrid.
In my tempering it follows the cumin by a second or two. The kitchen smell changes the moment it lands. That change is the cue that the rest of the dish can go in.
In the body
Asafoetida is pungent and heating, and it suits vata (the air constitution) above all. It is the classic remedy in Ayurvedic cooking for the bloating and wind that follow beans, lentils and the cabbage family.
I add a pinch of asafoetida to anything cooked with chickpeas or kidney beans, without thinking about it. It is the reason a well-made dal sits lightly.
