Basic Oil Tempering

Recipe:

Heat 2 tsp peanut oil in a pan on a med high heat.
Add 1/4 tsp black mustard seeds and when they pop, remove from the heat (when mustard seed pop, oil is of correct temperature so it will get mixed with the food properly and will not float on the top).
Add 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
Add 1/8 tsp hing powder.
Add immediately to the food you are making.

Notes:

1) I like to use peanut oil as it blends in very well with the Indian food and actually enhances flavors of the spices we use. It has 17% saturated fat, 46% unsatutaed fat and 32% polyunsaturated fat. It has smoking point of 437 degrees F. It has 33% lenoleic acids (omega 6), and 48% oleic acids (omega 9) and traces of alpha-lenoleic acids (omega 3).  I make flax seed chutney to get omega 3.

2) Mustard seed is a rich source of oil and protein. The seed has oil as high as 46-48%, and whole seed meal has 43.6% protein.

It has high amounts of calcium -52%, potassium - 15%, magnesium - 84%, phosphorus -120 %, 

Zinc - 60%, Iron - 77%, and Vit. B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, Vit. E, small amounts of Vit. C and Vit. K

3) Asafoetida  is used in our daily cooking as it relieves gas and stimulates digestion.  As a medicine its most common use is in treating indigestion and flatulence. 
Beans are the main source of protein for most vegetarians and these beans have a tendency to produce gas. To a great extent, garlic is also used for the same purpose, other than adding their fragrance to cooking.
I don't use hing powder when I add garlic to the tempering as hing powder has a very strong and pungent smell and because  one neutralises the effect of the other, and the very purpose of adding these spices to our cooking is lost irretrievably or forever.

4) The bioactive compounds found in turmeric are called as curcuminoids. Curcumin is one of the most important or the main active ingredient in turmeric. Curcumin is soluble in fat (oils, ghee etc). It 
has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant and antiseptic.