Asafoetida (hing): nutrition per 100 g

1. 01

   High iron on paper

   Asafoetida carries 15.68 mg of iron per 100 g, ranking 7th of 242 foods and 5th of 21 spices and herbs. A pinch weighs a small fraction of a gram, so the iron in a bowl of dal from hing is negligible.

2. 02

   Thiamine

   Its 0.82 mg of thiamine per 100 g ranks 5th of 239 foods and 2nd in its group, again a figure that matters only in theory at pinch-sized servings.

3. 03

   Mostly carbohydrate

   Compounded hing is 72.0 g carbohydrate per 100 g, 7th of 256 foods and 1st in its group, largely from the flour it is blended with, with 332 kcal.

4. 04

   Calcium and magnesium

   It lists 266 mg of calcium and 96 mg of magnesium per 100 g, 27th and 60th of 242 foods.

Values per 100 g of the edible portion. Source: Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, Hyderabad. Daily-need shares use the ICMR-NIN 2020 recommended dietary allowances for a 65 kg man and a 55 kg woman doing sedentary work (ICMR-NIN brief note). Nutrients IFCT did not analyse for this food are left out rather than shown as zero.

• Dal tadka: a pinch of hing fried with cumin, dried red chilli and ghee, poured over cooked toor dal.
• Sambar and rasam: hing added to the tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves.
• Hing aloo: Banarasi potatoes cooked with hing, cumin and green chilli, no onion or garlic.
• Gujarati and Punjabi kadhi: hing in the tadka gives depth to the curd and gram flour curry.
• Always fry hing briefly in hot fat; raw, it tastes harsh.

Because most compounded hing contains wheat flour, people with coeliac disease or a wheat allergy should buy hing labelled gluten-free, usually blended with rice flour. The per-100 g iron and thiamine here are real laboratory values but meaningless at a pinch a meal. Hing has a long home use for gas and bloating after dal; it is gentle in food amounts, but persistent digestive symptoms need a doctor. Keep it in an airtight tin, as its smell travels.

Food composition is general information, not a diet plan. Anyone managing a medical condition should plan their diet with a doctor or a registered dietitian.

• Cumin seeds

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Fenugreek seeds (methi dana)

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Garlic

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Onion

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Turmeric powder

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

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