Asafoetida Hing Powder

This stinks so bad, but when you sprinkle it in the pan when you are sauteing onions or veggies, it smells amazing. Smells like yummy onions and garlic. It makes bland veggies POP. You just sprinkle a little in the hot pan and it will disappear, then throw in your veggies, onions, etc...Everyone will comment about how something smells so good. I keep Hing sealed up in a ziplock bag, because it does stink like a rotten egg smell and dirty shoes.

I ordered LG hing, which is on of the two best brands of Hing I know of, and the label shows it contains rice flour as an ingredient. What I received from the seller from India is a cheap foul smelling jar of a hing labeled TT, which I have never heard of before and which smells so awful that I had to put it on the terrace and then throw it out -- you wouldn't be able to stand the smell, even before the package was opened. To make it worse the label on the jar states contents are 30 percent wheat starch, which I would never order because I avoid all commercial wheat; I had ordered this hing because the label showed rice flour. I feel I want everyone knows what happened to me with this seller.

Not a pure product, mostly a mix of something else. Has a good taste though. Has no smell from the bottle.

I ordered this as one of my many recent experiments into less common spices.Stating this up front:It's 3 stars because 4 carries the "I like it" and 5 carries the "I love it" implication - and I don't like or love this.I did some research beforehand, so I knew it would be stinky.I don't believe this product is inherently bad or spoiled (despite the smell) in any way - it's just not for me. This was simply an experimental purchase that didn't work out. Nothing more, nothing less.I don't have enough experience with asafoetida to know whether or not the package I got is typical, and I don't know anything about the seller, so I'm not making judgements about either.Other reviews mentioned that it contains wheat - I don't remember what the plastic bottle said (and it was in the outdoor garbage about 10 minutes after I brought it in, and thus long gone), so if you have Celiac or other wheat or gluten intolerance issues, be aware that this product MAY aggravate your intolerance.(I'm passing my package of it on to someone else who I know appreciates it far better than I do.)If you are purchasing this as a spice experiment, like I did, you need to be aware of the following:1) Asafoetida will always have a stench. It will always be a VERY STRONG stench. If you can't smell it, I'd say it's either a positively ancient batch, or your sinuses are plugged and you should probably see your doctor.2) Plastic baggies won't block the odor - it arrived in a plastic bottle, wrapped in bubblewrap, in a padded paper bag (which was very well packed, but not odor proof - I could smell it before I opened the mailbox!) I transferred it to a glass canning jar and screwed the two-piece lid on tight, and THAT seems to keep the odor contained.3) To people with an *extra sensitive* sense of smell, this stench MAY be nausea or even vomit-inducing. If you know you are badly affected by very strong odors, do keep this in mind.4) Be sure to clean the pan that you've cooked it in as soon as it's empty, otherwise you may find yourself smelling "old fish stink" a few hours later.5) The taste when used in cooking is reminiscent of onions and garlic - I'll be substituting onions instead in any future recipe that calls for asafoetida, now that I've tried this.

My friend is allergic to garlic. I'm a vegetarian. Finding recipes that are vegetarian without garlic is hard. Googling led me to Asafoetida, a garlic substitute. And Amazon had it! It took a while to get here (shipped from India) but it was worth the wait. Two bottles, makes a great garlic substitute (and yes, it really does smell awful before it's heated, but a ziplock contains the stench.)

I was surprised at the crushed package coming from India (I thought I was buying within the US - and why doesn't Amazon say so?); the stink from the package is awful. Could that be the expiration date of five months ago, or just the poor ingredients. - I'm giving up trying to cook Dal; this "essential" ingredient is not something I would put into fresh food, no thanks.

Product is cut with a wheat base so if you are wheat sensitive or have a wheat allergy this might not work for you. Only a dash is used when flavoring foods so it might not upset you but I think people should be advised. This product stinks like no other...WHEW...could smell it through the shipping package! If you get this on your hands prepare for the smell to linger. I usually put my seasonings in my palm to measure but I will have to adjust that method when using this product. As a person with an onion allergy I am very excited to have this in my spice cupboard! I miss onion flavor and this does the trick. Don't add too much or your food will take on a sulfurous taste. I keep mine in a ziplock to help with the odor, very, very pungent...but that's how you know it's good right? Enjoy

Hing powder is an Indian spice I heard of, and when I'm having curry at home I like to sprinkle a little over it.It adds a slightly different flavor to the already complex flavors of Indian food.I only eat Indian food on occasion, so this small bottle will probably last me a few months.