Asafetida

Asafetida isn’t really a part of Parsi cooking, except in one instance: our spice mixture known as Sambhar Masala. A resin collected from the roots of a fennel-like plant, Ferula assafoetida, native to central Asia, asafetida, whose name translates as “stinking resin,” is valued as a digestive and a flavor booster in many Indian cuisines. It’s most commonly found powdered, greatly diluted if not altogether adulterated with wheat flour. Look for it in resinous form, and do not be put off by its sulfurous smell.