Namak Para - Salt Pieces - An Indian Snack

I had never heard of Namak Para - Salt Pieces until one afternoon at the home of friends, one of whom is from India. As we sat down to tea, I noticed among the treats a little dish of something I'd never seen before. When I heard the name Salt Pieces I thought, I'm just not hearing that right. It must be an Indian name. But, no, Salt Pieces was the English name.

They're rather unusual, to the uninitiated, but quite addictive. I found myself reaching for that little bowl again and again and knew this would be my next experiment in the kitchen. In the meantime, they gave us a box of them. The label indicated carom seeds (ajwain) as the main spice ingredient. Having none on hand, I tried to come up with a combination from my spice rack that would stand in for it. I've listed them here. And I can always pay a visit to my local spice shop to pick up some ajwain to try next time. 

The first batch I made did not taste particularly salty, and something called "Salt Pieces" should be noticeably salty, I should think; so I added an extra 1/8 teaspoon to the recipe to correct that deficiency.  

Namak Para is usually fried, but I prefer baking over frying so thought I'd try a baked version. Some people use vegetable oil, others use ghee. Since I avoid refined oils and only ever have organic unsalted butter and extra virgin olive oil on hand, I thought I'd go with the ghee. Of course, you can buy ghee. But that would have involved a trip out to get it, so I made my own. It's simply Beurre Noisette (Brown Butter) with the milk solids removed, and I've put the directions below. 

I'm certainly no expert—this is only the fifth Indian recipe I have developed—so I'd love to hear your comments and any suggestions you might have. Here are the other recipes: Chicken Tikka Masala, Dal Makhani, Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala, and Naan. 

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Namak Para - Salt Pieces

(Makes about 6 dozen)

1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour (maida)

OR use half unbleached and half whole wheat flour (atta) 

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain) OR

1/16 teaspoon each anise seed, celery seed, ground coriander, ground cumin, oregano, and thyme

3 tablespoons ghee*, melted (or melted unsalted butter) 

4 to 6 tablespoons (2 to 3 fluid ounces/59 to 89 ml) water

This is the ghee when hot from the pan; it changes color,
lightens, as it cools and solidifies.

* Ghee is useful for so many things, I made a little 1-cup batch of it. You can just use melted butter if you like, but if you want to make the ghee it only takes 10 minutes. In a 10- or 12-inch stainless steel skillet (the shiny interior allows you to judge the color of the butter as it browns) over medium-high heat, melt 2 sticks (8 ounces/227 grams) of unsalted butter that you've cut into 8 slices each, about 2 to 3 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring with a silicone spatula and/or swirling the pan, until it smells nutty and is dark golden brown, about 6 minutes. The time varies according to your stove, so pay attention. You can't take your eyes off it; it can go from brown to black in a flash. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a glass measuring cup, to get rid of much of the foam and milk solids. Skim off any remaining foam. Clean the sieve and then strain the butter again into a half-pint canning jar, pouring slowly to leave the remaining milk solids behind. The color changes, lightens, as the ghee cools and solidifies.

1  In 1.5- to 2-quart mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Pour in the melted ghee and rub the flour between your palms for a minute or two until the fat is well incorporated into the flour and the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Press some of the mixture together in your hand; it should hold together and not crumble.  

2 With your hand, mix in 4 tablespoons (2 fluid ounces/59 ml) of water. Add only as much more water as needed to form a stiff dough (I used a total of a little over 5 tablespoons). Taste the dough and add more salt and spices if needed. 

Note: The dough should be stiff but pliable, neither too soft or sticky nor too dry and crumbly.

3 Knead it for just a minute or so (with no added flour) to form a sort-of-smooth dough; don't overdo it. Cover (if your mixing bowl has no lid, just turn your bowl upside-down over the dough) and rest the dough for 30 minutes. During last 10 minutes, preheat oven to 375F/190C/Gas5 and line baking sheet with parchment paper. 

4 On surface lightly dusted with flour, roll out the dough to a rectangle about 10 by 13 inches and about 1/8 inch (3 to 4 mm) thick. Using a straight edge and pizza wheel or knife, cut the dough into 1-inch wide strips and then cut pieces 1.5-inches long. 

5 Lay the pieces out on the parchment-lined 18x13x1-inch half sheet pan. Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, checking for doneness after 10 minutes (mine took 15 minutes). Transfer the pieces, still on the parchment, to a wire rack; cool completely before storing in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks at room temperature. 

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Jean

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