Mamta, do you or anyone else know what is in kala namak?

I've heard all sorts of things about it, but I'm really not sure what's true.

Is it OK to use it regularly in cooking. I find that it adds special flavour to curries, and really improves the overall taste.

But I'm concerned about what's actually in it - is it a bad thing to use it regularly?

liza

I did find a link to a site all about salt...

Saltworks us

That shows it as a normal ingredient but doesn't say too much about it (other than it being more pink than black)

Hello Liza

The site Steven AskCy has suggested has a nice picture of 'kala namak'.

Black salt is actually potassium chloride, as opposed to normal salt, which is Sodium chloride. It has a rather pungent, sulfurous smell, it is pinky grey in colour and it is slightly less salty than normal salt. These days, it is usually sold already powdered, but my mum used to buy it as small rocks and used to grind it in at home.

We Indians use it in group of spicy snacks called ?Chaats, Green Chutneys, sometimes in Raitas, in a spicy drink called Jal Jeera or Fire wWter and sometimes in Indian salads.

In Ayurvedic medicine, it is used in digestive medicines. In large amounts, it can cause loose motions.

In answer to your question about adding it to curries regularly, it may not be a good idea, as it may cause loose motions if used everyday.

Mamta