Our Wild Hing, also known as asafoetida, is the dried sap of a mountain shrub, and its flavor is incomparable and essential to many South Indian dishes. The aroma is infamously sharp when raw, but after blooming in a little bit of oil at the beginning of the cooking process, it adds a deep, savory, allium flavor — it's a wonderful alternative to those with a sensitivity to onions and garlic. Those who cook with hing know that a little goes a long way. Start with 1/8 tsp and bloom it in fat at the beginning of the cooking process.
Most hing is blended with rice or wheat flour in order to prevent caking, but we wanted to provide a grain- and gluten-free version, so we blended it with our New Harvest Turmeric, which is often used in combination with hing in cooking.
Read more about the long and rich history of hing in this fantastic piece that Vidya Balachander wrote for Whetstone Magazine.
Highlights
Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan
Dried, then ground
New harvest turmeric (Curcuma longa), 80%; wild hing (Ferula asafoetida), 20%
Raw Onion • Roasted Garlic • Pear
Red River Coriander, Wild Mountain Cumin, Black Mineral Salt
Cooking tips
- Use at the start of cooking any dish that needs a deep allium flavor
- Bloom in fat and sauté greens
- Make a tadka by tempering some hing in ghee, then drizzle the flavored oil over a dish right before serving
SOURCING
Grown in the foothills south of Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, hing is a native plant that grows wild and is harvested by local foragers. The plant resembles anise, but instead of collecting the seeds, foragers cut the plant at its base with a curved knife and collect the gum-like sap that emerges from the exposed cut. The sap is then placed in containers in a dark room to dry. After drying, the hing forms slightly sticky, resinous pebbles that are ground to a fine consistency.
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United StatesGreat Spice, Okay Jar
I may have an unusually sensitive sense of smell, but I wasn’t aware how strong hing would smell to me. I could smell it before I opened the box while the jar was still shrink wrapped inside, cocooned in its packing. Tbh it was really off putting at first, after looking into it people describe it as onion/garlic and sulfur. To me there’s a very sharp almost gasoline note that I couldn’t imagine adding to a dish, but then I ran out of tumeric. I bloomed a small amount of hing instead and I like the stew better for it. I can’t quite put my finger on what it changes, but it definitely improves the flavor. Now I just need to find a better jar.
United StatesUnique Flavor For A Unique Spice
Wild Hing has a pungent kick that leaves a unique and delicious addition to an Alfredo pasta recipe. I can see this flavor in any number of dishes as a tasty complement. I love how Burlap & Barrel has the most unique spices I’ve ever gotten with impeccable flavor, potency, and beautifully designed spice jars.
United StatesFlavor Booster
A little goes a long way! This packs such a flavor punch!
United StatesMagical
You know that bitter flavor that can arise when you stew vegetables for too long? Bloom some hing first, then the bitter flavor will simply not arise, like magic. Plus great onion flavor without onions that can be a food sensitivity for some
United StatesGreat Spices
I have used the Wild Hing and I must say that it's a great and very different spice to what I've been using. It's like a combination of spices. It's a wonderful spice and I can't wait to find more tasty recipes for it.
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