Why asafoetida clumps in hot oil?
Naturally, asofoetida  is obtained as a hard gummy resin from trees. In order to make it easier to measure and add to your cooking, it is powdered and sold. But, asofoetida being a resin in nature gets clumped in the package if not coated with some agent. In India, it is usually coated with flour. Flour when put in oil gets fried. So what you see clumping isn't asofoetida, it's the flour in it.