What Can I Substitute for Asafoetida?

You're heating ghee or oil with cumin or mustard seeds to pour over a dal, and the recipe adds a pinch of asafoetida at the last second.

• fresh garlic, minced — 5 ml minced (about 1 small clove) for every 1.25 ml asafoetida (1 tsp)
• onion powder and garlic powder, mixed — 2.5 ml (half each) for every 1.25 ml asafoetida (½ tsp)

Here asafoetida's job is to bloom in the hot fat and carry its allium flavour through the dal, so fresh garlic fried until just golden does the same job in the fat. The mixed powders also bloom well if you add them off the heat for a few seconds so they don't scorch.

You're simmering sambar, rasam or a lentil soup and the asafoetida is stirred into the pot with the other spices.

• onion powder and garlic powder, mixed — 2.5 ml (half each) for every 1.25 ml asafoetida (½ tsp)
• onion powder — 2.5 ml for every 1.25 ml asafoetida (½ tsp)

In a simmered dish the asafoetida is mostly giving a rounded savoury background, and the powders dissolve into the liquid without leaving pieces. Onion powder alone keeps the soft leek-like side that suits tamarind-based sambar, while the mix adds the garlicky edge as well.

You're making a dry potato, cauliflower or bean curry where the spices coat the vegetables rather than sitting in a sauce.

• onion powder and garlic powder, mixed — 2.5 ml (half each) for every 1.25 ml asafoetida (½ tsp)
• garlic powder — 2.5 ml for every 1.25 ml asafoetida (½ tsp)

Powders cling to the vegetables the way asafoetida does and give the savoury depth without adding moisture. Garlic powder alone works but makes the dish taste more obviously of garlic.

You're cooking for someone on a low-FODMAP diet who uses asafoetida because they avoid onion and garlic solids.

• garlic-infused oil — 15 ml for every 1.25 ml asafoetida (3 tsp)

The other substitutes are onion or garlic themselves, so garlic-infused oil is the only one here that suits this diet, carrying garlic flavour through the fat as a tadka does. It is lighter on savoury depth, so expect a less rounded dal.

You're cooking a Jain or Brahmin-style dish, or for someone who doesn't eat onion or garlic in any form.

Nothing really replaces it here.

Asafoetida is in these dishes precisely because it gives an allium-like flavour without onion or garlic, and every substitute that matches it is onion or garlic. Leave it out and lean on extra cumin, ginger and curry leaves, or buy asafoetida.

The dal tastes bitter and acrid after you swapped in fresh garlic for the tadka.

Why: The garlic went into very hot fat and burnt, because it needs longer and gentler cooking than asafoetida's few seconds.

Can't be fixed — next time: Burnt garlic flavour can't be removed once it's stirred through; next time lower the heat after the seeds pop and fry the garlic for 30–60 seconds only until just golden.

The dish tastes strongly of garlic, like garlic bread rather than a curry.

Why: Too much powder or oil went in, often from heaped spoons or from measuring with a 20 ml Australian tablespoon when the amount assumed a 15 ml one.

Fix: Add more cooked lentils, vegetables or stock to dilute it, then finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and a fresh tempering of cumin seeds to pull the flavour back towards the spices.

The dish tastes flat even though you added the onion and garlic powder.

Why: The powders were stirred into the liquid at the end without being bloomed in fat, so their flavour never spread through the dish.

Fix: Heat a spoonful of ghee or oil, take it off the heat, stir in another small pinch of the powder mix for a few seconds, and pour it over the dish.

There's a harsh, raw garlic bite in the finished sambar or curry.

Why: Fresh garlic was added straight into the simmering liquid instead of being fried first.

Fix: Simmer for another 10 minutes with the lid off to soften the garlic, and next time fry it in the fat before adding liquid.

Is hing the same as asafoetida?

Yes, hing is the Hindi name for asafoetida and the two are the same spice. Packets at Indian grocers are often labelled hing, and most are the compounded powder mixed with flour rather than pure resin.

Can I leave asafoetida out of a dal?

Yes, you can leave it out and the dal will still work, but it will taste a little flatter and less savoury. A small amount of onion and garlic powder, or fresh garlic fried in the tempering fat, fills most of the gap if you eat onion and garlic.

Is asafoetida gluten-free?

Not always, because most compounded asafoetida is bulked out with wheat flour. Check the label for a version made with rice flour or another gluten-free starch if you need the dish to be gluten-free.

How much asafoetida should I use?

For the compounded powder, about 1.25 ml is enough for a dish that serves four. Pure resin is far stronger, so use only a tiny pinch of it. If a substitute such as garlic-infused oil is given in tablespoons, note that an Australian tablespoon holds 20 ml rather than 15 ml, so measure in millilitres to avoid adding too much.

What does asafoetida taste like?

Once cooked in hot fat, it tastes savoury, like a mellow mix of leek, onion and garlic. Raw, it smells harsh and sulfurous, which is why it is always fried briefly or cooked into the dish rather than sprinkled on at the end.

How do I stop asafoetida making my pantry smell?

Keep it in its original tub inside a tightly sealed glass jar. The strong smell comes from its volatile oil, which escapes easily and can also flavour nearby spices if the container is left loose.