Okay, so the big surprise in the base wasn't the fact is has asafoetida in it, it's not an unusual item but is usually used very sparingly - a pinch here or there at the most. In this recipe he puts in 2 chefs spoons of the stuff! I personally like the way it enhances onion tastes in things like onion bhajis. Used too much it can end up producing a smell not unlike oniony vomit. Thankfully in this base despite using so much there aren't any negative effects. I'm making a Madras for lunch today so I'll post back how it ends up.