SALT
-Yash Sharma
"Mumma! Aaj bhi namak Kam hai khaane mein," said Sonu as he tasted the curry. Poor Bimla forgot again, and how can she not forget? Babu Ji takes Sendha namak in his diet while Maa Ji needs saltless food due to her high blood pressure. This is the story of salt in every house, forget it, and the taste is gone, add it in excess, and the food becomes almost inedible. With its numerous types and usages, salt is rocking every kitchen existing.
India has a beautiful story, even with spice as common as the common salt. Initially, Britishers did not allow people to extract or sell salt openly. In 1930, Gandhi Ji broke the salt law with his famous Dandi march, resulting in a widespread boycott of British goods. Salt is one of the crucial elements in savoury foods and even in some sweet dishes. Not even one type of salt, but there are numerous types like table salt, kosher salt, Celtic grey sea salt, Himalayan pink salt, etc. Not only used to flavour dishes, but salt also has usages ranging from preservatives for pickles, baking, and even making of chemicals.
Various types of salt and their uses
Common Salt (Table salt): Obtained from salt mines and processed, the white powder found in shakers in homes and restaurants is not just for adding flavour but also as a preservative for pickles, as a dehydrated for moisture containing vegetables, it is also used in baking as it enhances the capacity of gluten to hold more water and rise properly.
While not directly being used in food, some of the fascinating uses of salt in cooking are baking, like in the salt crust baking method. This method involves covering meat or vegetables in salt (bounded by egg whites or water) and then baked. The crust is then cracked open. The food gets evenly cooked due to the excellent properties of the heat distribution of salt.
Rock salt (Sendha Namak): The pink blocks of salt sold in trucks made by jugaad by nomadic people is called sendha namak and is used as an alternative to table salt in many homes. In Hinduism, it is considered sacred and consumed even during fasting seasons, such as the Navratras. This type of salt is known for extra minerals such as iron, zinc, magnesium and copper. Rock salt provides essential electrolytes required by the body, reduces muscle cramps, and even improves digestion. It's used in lukewarm water to treat sore throats by gargling.
Himalayan black salt (Kala namak): Black salt was used initially in ayurvedic medicines due to its medicative properties. It slowly seeped its way into Indian cuisine and is still one of the most common elements in every Indian kitchen. Sulfur presents results in its pungent odour and sharp taste. It is also known widely as the home remedy for gas and bloating. Taking a pinch of carom seeds mixed with a pinch of black salt relieves bloating. This salt also decreases cholesterol levels in the body and is a very excellent antioxidant.
Kosher salt: The coarse-grained sibling of salt is known as kosher salt. Kosher salt might contain anticaking agents too, which is used to prevent the formation of lumps, but as the grain size is already big, it's not necessary to use additives. The large size of Kosher salt grains is ideal for drawing out moisture from meat and vegetables and is used primarily in professional cooking.
Sea salt: It is formed by evaporating water from the sea and contains other minerals like calcium and magnesium. It does not have a fixed colour, content or texture as it depends on the obtained water body. It is also not treated as much as table salt and does not contain additives. It can also be used as an alternative to table salt.
Some interesting varieties of salt
Bamboo salt: The most expensive type of salt, produced by packing bay salt in bamboo stem and baking it nine times at high temperature. Tastes sweet and salty at the same time.
Moshio: This famous salt from Japan is produced by seaweed. The seaweed strands are boiled in seawater, and the residue settled down is scraped out and used.
Some recipes using types of salt other than common salt:
Baking meat or vegetables using the salt crust
Ingredients
❖2 cups Kosher or sea salt (due to bigger crystal size)
❖3 egg whites
❖½ cup water
❖2 cups all-purpose flour
❖Meat or stuffable vegetables like bell peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkins etc.
❖Any seasoning of your choice.
❖Any stuffing like paneer, cheese, vegetables or rice.
Method
1. Mix salt, water, egg whites and flour in a mixing bowl.
2. Take a baking tray and place parchment paper on it; apply a small layer of salt.
3. Place the meat or vegetables with stuffing mixed with seasoning. Apply a tiny amount of butter or olive oil.
4. Apply the salt mixture coat evenly on the vegetable or meat stuffing.
5. Bake it in a preheated oven (200–250 degrees celsius) till the salt crust gets brown.
6. Take it out of the oven and break the crust with a metal spoon or handle of a knife.
Garlic salt
Garlic flavoured salt is an excellent mix for adding garlic and ensuring its even mixing in the food during preparation.
Ingredients
❖Kosher salt (½ cups)
❖Garlic cloves peeled (6–7)
Method
1. Grind the garlic cloves and salt in a mixer or roughly crush with a pestle and mortar until garlic gets crushed evenly.
2. Bake it at 200 degrees for 45 minutes on parchment paper in a baking dish or leave it in a dry place under the sun.
3. The consistency can be adjusted by crushing or grinding further.
