Black salt (kala namak)

Flavour and aroma

salty, sulphurous, egg-yolk-like, slightly tangy. Salty, slightly less sharp than table salt, with a savoury, tangy edge.

Heat

No heat

Forms

powder, whole

How to use it

• use raw

  Sprinkle over chaat, fruit, raita, salads and drinks such as jaljeera and chaas. Its sulphur smell fades with heat, so add it at the end.

• grind · Dry grinding technique

  Grind lumps finely in a mortar before use.

• Mixed into chaat masala and sprinkled on fruit and chaat
• Seasoning jaljeera, lemonade and buttermilk
• Raitas and chutneys
• Vegan dishes that imitate the taste of egg

Identifying good quality

Dark violet-grey lumps or a pinkish-grey powder with a strong hard-boiled-egg smell. Not the same as pink Himalayan salt.

• Not to be confused with Salt: It is still mostly sodium chloride; use it in place of some salt, not on top.

Origin and history

Origin: Northern South Asia, made from rock salt of the Salt Range in Pakistan and the Himalaya.. Grown and used: Made and used in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh..

Kala namak is traditionally made by heating rock salt in a kiln with plant material such as harad (Terminalia chebula) seeds, which produces sulphur compounds. It is the key flavour of chaat masala, jaljeera and Indian fruit chaat. Much of it today is made industrially from salt and sodium sulphate.

Commonly told; not firmly documented

In masalas, pastes and sauces

• Chaat masalaMasala20 g per batch
• Chole masalaMasala4 g per batch
• Pav bhaji masalaMasala5 g per batch
• Kairi pudina chutney (raw mango-mint chutney)Sauce2 g per batch
• Amla chutney (Indian gooseberry chutney)Sauce2 g per batch
• Aloo bukhara chutney (sweet-sour plum chutney)Sauce1 g per batch
• Khajur ambli chutney (Gujarati date-tamarind chutney)Sauce2 g per batch
• Boondi raitaSauce1 g per batch
• Pudina raita (mint raita)Sauce1 g per batch
• Lauki raita (bottle gourd raita)Sauce1 g per batch
• Pineapple raitaSauce1 g per batch