Hello!

There is a dish I want to try and cook later (Salmon with a mustard sauce) but one of the ingredients is called Asafoetida. I have done a little research on this food and apparently it can smell awful before its cooked but quite nice when cooked.

I love cooking Asian dishes so I will try and buy some later I just wanted to know if any other curry lovers out there use this in dishes. Do Indian restaurants use this?

It has risen in popularity during the past couple of years and most main supermarkets stock it. I have some in my kitchen at work and cook with it often.

You might find it in the shops by the alternative name of "Hing"
and you need such a tiny amount of it that it is a good idea to put it in a small shaker, like salt or pepper.

Like the previous posters I use this quite often.

And yes, it does stink

I have some in the cupboard and only used it a couple of times in curries. I do use it in bhaji batter/mix though.

Apparently it can be a substitute for onion & garlic for people who don't eat those items.

I've used it in curries for twenty years or more, though never thought of using it for other things, maybe I should experiment.

It used to be an ingredient in some bought curry powder but seems to have been dropped - I've checked lots of types but never spotted it.

My partner cooks with this rather than onion and garlic.