Mushrooms with Asafetida

10485 Mushrooms with Asafetida 2 to 3 servings Wed Aug 16 13:50:00 -0700 2006 Tue Apr 22 12:20:56 -0700 2008 Middle Eastern Licensed http://www.chow.com/recipes/10485 Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:20:56 GMT A side dish that packs a punch Asafetida gives this dish a pungency that people either love or hate. The notorious asafetida is the strong-smelling, even stinking, dried brownish resin extracted from the root of a plant (Ferula assafoetida) that grows wild from the eastern Mediterranean to central Asia.

In central Asia, especially India and Iran, asafetida has remained an important culinary spice and herbal medicine. In India, some people don’t eat onions and garlic for religious reasons, substituting asafetida instead; however, in northern Indian cooking, asafetida is often combined with either garlic or onion. In southern India, asafetida is even more popular and shows up in the Tamil spice mixture sambar podi, which generally seasons vegetables, not meats, because vegetarianism is more prevalent in southern India.

What to buy: For stronger flavor, buy asafetida resin; for a milder spice that’s easier to use, buy powdered asafetida. Yellow asafetida is milder than brown.

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Heat vegetable oil in a large pot and add ground asafetida or a small lump of asafetida resin to the oil and allow it to sizzle and color for a few seconds.

As soon as the asafetida darkens, add mushrooms, chile peppers, turmeric, tomatoes, and salt to taste.

Cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed.

]]> http://www.chow.com Aliza Green 51 Side Dish 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

]]> 270 Generous pinch of ground asafetida

]]> 30 1 1/2 pounds trimmed and quartered mushrooms

]]> 277 2 small dried red chile peppers

]]> 293 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

]]> 109 1 cup crushed tomatoes

]]> 613 asafetida 578 spice 745 ethnic 393 exotic 776 fun 384 easy 1023 aliza green 306 indian 1472 iranian 836 adventurous 435 vegetarian 1619 omnivore 9636 adults