[Aroy]

Originally Posted by DCEite

I was surprised when I read the labels on commercial Hing poweders in market. All of them contain "Wheat flour/Refined wheat flour" as an ingredient. I am not sure why it is used, but perhaps its a binding agent.

The best Hing you could get would be the pure Hing granules. Seach for "Hathras Hing" and you will get some information on this. This is pure hing without any adultration, but it will not be in powdered form, but in form of small hard granules. Ofcourse before cooking they will need to be crushed using a pestle and mortar.

Even Hing Granules are a mixture of Hing and Maida. Pure (100%) hing is difficult to source as most of it is bought by manufacturers.

[meerkat]

Originally Posted by DCEite

I was surprised when I read the labels on commercial Hing poweders in market. All of them contain "Wheat flour/Refined wheat flour" as an ingredient. I am not sure why it is used, but perhaps its a binding agent.

The common powdered Hing packages sold now are typically labeled as "Compounded Asafoetida" -- with the percentage of flour indicated. My current package has 30% flour. More commonly it is 50% or even higher.

Recently I dug up an old package (branded S.S.P., manufactured in Oct-2005) lost in some old boxes from my Bangalore days! It also says "Compounded", but gives no percentages of the ingredients! The package was almost unused, and remains perfectly usable to this day, with a strong scent, -- almost 19 years later! No wonder, -- the 10g pack cost Rs. 39/- back in 2005. My current packs typically cost Rs. 70/- to 100/- for 50g in 2024.

When I was a kid, Hing used to be sold by the "Kabuliwalas". Back then it used to come in brown resin form, and needed to be ground for use. Don't know how pure it was, but was definitely far more potent than the current "compounded" forms.

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

The one from Everest brand is what I use and found it good enough for my requirements, should be found online.

The Everest brand Hing comes in various strengths, priced accordingly. I have no comments regarding its quality. But they are atrociously packaged in non-airtight plastic jars (the caps are just not made to be screwed back on tightly). So in humid weather the powder just absorbs moisture and forms a solid mass that needs to be powdered back to be used! In contrast, the 19-year-old S.S.P. Hing mentioned above remains in perfectly dry powdered form!

--- So I don't purchase Everest Hing anymore, and the brand itself has been blacklisted in my household as a consequence!
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