FOOD NEWS
The Indian Ingredient You Need For More Genuine Butter Chicken
By Alia Ali
While Indian cuisine uses combinations of spices, the ingredient, asafoetida, is so distinctly Indian that it immediately adds an air of authenticity to a butter chicken dish.
Asafoetida is a powder made from the dried resin of a plant from the carrot and fennel family. The reason it has not caught on is likely because of its pungent smell.
However, the longer it's cooked, the milder its intense umami flavor will become, and this spice mellows out into a wonderful onion-y flavor that'll transform your butter chicken.
Whatever dish you're cooking asafoetida with, it is important to bloom the spice in fat like ghee or butter to tame its scent and coax out its flavor.
Don't let it cook for more than 15 seconds, and add other ingredients to the slow cooking process as soon as the asafoetida is toasted in the fat of your choice.
If you decide to incorporate asafoetida into your pantry, it must be kept in an airtight container to avoid seeping into neighboring spice jars.
You only need a pinch of it to elevate any dish, but it is definitely not a spice that can be sprinkled on after cooking, as it would smell and taste too strong.