Black Salt Powder

Kala namak, the South Asian black salt, ground to a fine pinkish-brown powder. Its signature is a sulfurous aroma that reads unmistakably as boiled egg yolk, over a rich, smoky and slightly tangy salinity quite unlike ordinary salt.

It is made from natural mineral salt heated with herbs and spices, which is what gives it both the colour and the aroma. It has long been used in Ayurvedic cooking and is widely used across South Asia.

How to use it

It belongs in chaats, chutneys and raitas above all, and it seasons curries well. Its egg-like note has made it a standard in plant-based cooking, where a pinch over scrambled tofu does most of the work. Technique tip: add it off the heat at the end. The sulfur compounds that give kala namak its character are volatile and largely cook away, so salt the dish with ordinary salt and finish with this.

Details

Also known as

Kala Namak, Indian Black Salt, Himalayan Black Salt, Sulemani Namak, Schwarzes Salz, Sel Noir, Sale Nero, 검은 소금, السواد الملح