How to use ‘kala namak’ to pack a punch
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Asafoetida and kala namak were two things that would make me pinch my nose as a kid. Not surprising, given that both have a strong and strange smell and taste for anyone who’s olfactory and gustatory receptors are just developing.
The common factor here responsible for the striking odour is sulphur-containing compounds. While salt adds much needed saltiness to food, kala namak adds saltiness plus a punch of unmistakable flavour. It isn’t wrong to call kala namak as “salt pro max".
Indian cuisine (mostly north Indian) has a place for kala namak in specific dishes like raita, chaat and seasoning salad vegetables. It is also a defining ingredient in chaat masala, a sprinkle of which can elevate any dish (or fruit) with its complex blend of spices. Kala namak, or black salt, sits unassumingly in my kitchen cabinet, tucked away in a shaker bottle from a popular brand—its humble appearance betraying the laborious process behind its creation, which requires temperatures exceeding 800 degrees Celsius, comparable to that in a steel smelter.
Given the varieties of salt that are sold, you may wonder what the difference is between rock salt, pink salt and kala namak. Rock salt is naturally occurring salt crystal from salt pans. Pink salt is mostly from the Himalaya, the colour coming from trace minerals like iron, magnesium and calcium.
Kala namak is made from further processing of pink salt by heating it at high temperatures with charcoal and herbs, after which it is cooled and ground. The finished salt is rich in iron sulphide, giving it the darker colour and characteristic odour. I was struck by how a simple home-made spice mix with the right combination of ingredients can transform a dish when
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