This is a question for Howler, BombayBeauty, JFores et al.
A while ago you were discussing mango and black salt.
Well, I was rooting around in one of the supermarkets in Brick Lane and found black salt, various types of dried mango and a plentiful supply of Chandrika and other fragrant Indian soaps (but that's another story)
Can you give me some idea of how to prepare the mango with black salt. I have two types of mango. One is small pieces of dark dried mango, the other kind of strips.
My black salt is in easily crushable lumps, not really black, more like dirty cream in colour, but says black salt on the package.
TIA
sounds like you got the real deal.
the aam papad thats delish usually comes in strips - and if it has a sorta herringbone glaze you've hit pay dirt. just crush the salt and dab the aam papad in it before eating - adjust your bite and the amount of dab till you get a heavenly sweet salt minerally combo thing.
incidentally, this is as good a place as any to point out that one thing the zillions of indian cuisines share is the idea of mix n' match. a well balanced plate is essentially a palate from which you combine various flavours and textures in your mouth. dip some dal, now try a bhaji, maybe some dal and bhaji next etc. its infinite, its varied but it does require you to understand how the plate goes. the easiest way to spot a foreign-born desi is to look at their plates - they'll seem horribly unbalanced to us desi born desis.
what we dont do is solemnly chomp at a steak with bites of fries/salad to break up the monotony. this is why i perhaps am immune to st. john.
and fwiw, the only non-indian cuisines that have given me that immediate balance sense are lebanese and italian.
loobcom, another suggestion for using your black salt is to sprinkle on fresh fruits such as guavas, watermelons, papayas, it's a great combo. or else squeeze some fresh orange juice and add a sliced banana and a couple of pinches of the crushed salt, give it a stir and enjoy.
see below for a related thread from my time in BKK earlier this year, i may try and recreate the plum sauce mix chez moi
Another great use for black salt is in raita. It gives a great tangy, mineral flavor to the yogurt and other things mixed in. Even a simple boondi raita will get that extra kick. Fruit raitas (or directly on fruit as suggest by oonth) also work well with black salt. And of course various specious of chaat, but this requires more work...
Some links, though not necessarily the best, give the basic idea:
http://www.sheetudeep.com/lifestyle/r...
http://www.dharmakshetra.com/prasadam...
Hower -- I'm with you this -- the thali is not just a means to serve food, but a way of eating. To dip in to your "dessert" between waves of spicy food is truly heavenly. It is truly a palette of flavors and textures. This seems likely to lead to the thread/ question, where are the best thalis in London. But I'll check the boards and web before posting.
Cheers,
BB
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