The 8 Best Cooking Oils For Indian Cuisine And How To Use Them

It would be rather difficult to cook Indian food without oil. Some kind of fat is necessary for softening and enhancing the flavors of base ingredients like onions, garlic, and ginger. Additionally, oil is essential to frying food, and a finishing oil can add delectable flavor and texture to a dish. The region from which a dish hails, its specific melody of flavors, and the style in which it is prepared all help dictate which oil one should pull from the kitchen cabinet. For instance, there is a very good reason why you should stay away from high heat when cooking with sesame oil: its smoke point. To that end, this guide will help you understand which cooking oils are best for Indian cuisine and how to use them.

I have lived much of each year in India since meeting my husband there in 2019, and I have therefore had many opportunities to hone my cooking skills in making dals, curries, snacks, and vegetable dishes. This guide is mostly informed by my own experiences, but supplemented by additional research where necessary. While ghee and butter may not strictly fit the definition of oils (both are solid at room temperature), I have nevertheless included them in this list because they are so integral to Indian cuisine.

Ghee in Hindi means "clarified butter," and it is made by simmering butter until its milk solids have caramelized. These solids are then removed with a strainer, leaving behind a golden form of butterfat with a somewhat nutty taste. It is essential to wait for the milk solids to brown, as doing so amplifies the flavor of ghee to render it richer and more complex than regular butter. Ghee's versatility and lip-smacking flavor are why it knows no bounds; indeed, it is favored across India in the country's many regional cuisines. Plus, ghee is shelf-stable and can typically be stored at room temperature for at least six months, if not longer.

Ghee is a crucial component of Indian snacks, starters, entrees, and desserts alike. Its high smoke point (485 degrees Fahrenheit) makes it suitable for sauteing spices and vegetables at the beginning of a recipe. However, it is also frequently called for as a finishing oil; for instance, parathas, a type of flatbread, and littis, whole wheat and lentil flour dumplings, are usually smothered in ghee before serving. Because few traditional Indian desserts are prepared in the oven, ghee is not commonly used in baked goods. Instead, ghee is what brings sweets like besan ladoos, carrot halwa, and Mysore pak to life. Ready to add a jar to your cart? Start with 4th & Heart Original Grass-Fed Ghee, a reliable and widespread brand. Note that while A2 ghee is different from A1 ghee, both will work just fine in many of your favorite Indian recipes.

Butter is produced by churning milk until its fat content and buttermilk separate from one another. After being compressed and chilled, fat gives way to the creamy, versatile ingredient so many of us around the world know and love: butter. Standing in the grocery store's dairy aisle, you might scratch your head, wondering whether you should buy salted or unsalted butter for dinner tonight. This is a controversial topic, but if your recipe already calls for salt, you can reasonably assume that unsalted butter will meet your needs. This is especially true when it comes to baking, which is notorious for being a more precise and unforgiving science. Indian recipes where butter will be incorporated into a batter or dough, such as veg puffs or nan khatai (shortbread cookies), will likely turn out best if you use unsalted butter.

Ghee and butter may be related, but each has its own distinct uses in Indian cuisine. For starters, butter is semi-solid; this texture and consistency translates well to dishes where it needs to be spread, for instance, on bread, where it can slowly and evenly melt. Butter's flavor is also less pronounced, so it can add creaminess to dishes without being overtly pervasive. Dal makhani, which translates to "buttery lentils," and butter chicken, are two of the most obvious applications for butter in Indian cuisine. However, other dishes like pav bhaji, a type of vegetable sandwich, and parathas benefit from generous helpings of butter, too. Keep in mind that butter's smoke point is 350 degrees Fahrenheit, which is lower than ghee.

In the United States, there is great debate over whether it is actually dangerous to cook with mustard oil. Currently, FDA regulations prohibit the sale of mustard oil for cooking due to studies that were once conducted on rats. This research pointed to worrying levels of erucic acid in mustard oil, but more studies are needed to understand its effects on humans. Indeed, mustard oil is permissible in many other countries and can still be found in the cosmetics aisle of Indian grocery stores in the United States. In India, very few people give it a second thought before pouring mustard oil into the pan. In fact, this oil is one of the most common ingredients in Bengali cuisine, where it is used in recipes like aloo posto, a potato and poppy seed dish, and macher jhol, a kind of fish curry.

If you have never tried it before, be warned: Mustard oil can be an acquired taste. Its peppery flavor permeates into the nostrils, waking up one's senses even in the smallest amounts. Once I got used to it, though, I found that mustard oil can add a lovely depth to the simplest dishes. For example, we add it to leftover rice with a bit of salt, which is enough to forgo the need for a curry or dal, so long as we have some cooked vegetables on the side. There are yellow and black varieties of mustard oil; both have their place in the kitchen, with the yellow kind being milder. The smoke point of pure mustard oil is 480 degrees Fahrenheit.

Peanut oil, otherwise known as groundnut oil, is an easily found ingredient that is excellent to use in all kinds of Indian dishes. Because its refined version boasts a high smoke point (450 degrees Fahrenheit as opposed to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for unrefined oil), peanut oil is commonly used for frying. It is also used at the beginning of recipes when ingredients like onions, garlic, ginger, and vegetables need to be cooked, perhaps before being combined with the other ingredients in a dal or curry. Additionally, peanut oil is commonly used in peanut chutney alongside ingredients like onions, garlic, chana dal, sesame seeds, and tamarind; this chutney may be served with a South Indian dish such as dosa or idli.

Peanut oil can lend either a mild or noticeable flavor to a dish, depending on whether the peanuts have been roasted and how they have been processed. Generally, refined peanut oil carries a neutral flavor, while cold-pressed and gourmet peanut oil can be much bolder. One should avoid using strongly flavored peanut oil in recipes that call for more neutral choices, like canola oil or safflower oil. However, flavorful peanut oil can be favored in dishes that would benefit from a nutty undertone or dishes that already star peanuts. For instance, stronger peanut oil wonderfully complements poha, a beaten rice dish that is popular in the state of Maharashtra. I also enjoy it alongside ghee in Mysore pak, a melt-in-your-mouth South Indian dessert based in gram flour.

Sesame, often referred to in India as til, is a common ingredient in Indian cuisine. Sesame seeds star in many dishes, including bhindi masala, an okra side dish, and the sweet and nourishing sesame ladoos. Meanwhile, sesame oil is commonly used in stir fry recipes and for adding complex flavors to dishes like ellu sadham, a quick and delicious sesame-infused rice. Two main types of sesame oil exist: dark (or toasted) sesame oil and light (or non-toasted) sesame oil. As you might expect, the dark kind has a more robust flavor. Additionally, toasted sesame oil does not have a high smoke point; in fact, it is only 350 degrees Fahrenheit, which is why it is better suited for recipes where it will not be exposed to high heat for very long. On the other hand, non-toasted sesame oil has a higher smoke point of 410 degrees Fahrenheit, so it can be favored more for stove-top use.

Many South Indian achaar, or pickle, recipes use sesame oil for preserving produce like mango, lotus stems, garlic, and onions. Sesame oil also adds a lovely flavor to South Indian breakfast staples like dosas and idli. In fact, in the state of Tamil Nadu, sesame oil is called "nalla ennai," which translates to "good oil." In general, you can use sesame oil to lightly saute spices and vegetables in Indian recipes, as long as you are mindful of the heat.

Because coconut oil solidifies when the temperature is below 77 degrees Fahrenheit (give or take), it is a reliable choice for when you are making a dish that will be heated to at least a moderate temperature. Coconut oil's smoke point rests at about 338 degrees Fahrenheit when unrefined, but can approach 450 degrees Fahrenheit when refined. Therefore, depending on the type of coconut oil you select, you can safely use it in a wide range of recipes, from sauteing vegetables to crafting coconut ladoos.

In India, coconut oil is commonly used for sauteing onions, garlic, and ginger at the beginning of a recipe. I especially favor it in coconut-based dishes like coconut rice, thoran (vegetables stir-fried with grated coconut), Bengali cholar dal, and korma, where the coconut flavor will not be intrusive or out of place. I like to include coconut oil in my baked goods as well, including flatbreads like naan. Some people are quite adept at picking out the flavor of coconut oil in a dish; if you are one of them, make sure to understand the difference between unrefined and refined coconut oil. You'll want to use the latter for a less prominent coconut flavor. Finally, if you are vegan, you can try making a plant-based version of ghee using coconut oil and guava leaves; it is not the same, but I can attest that the end result certainly shares some similarities with its dairy-based counterpart.

Olive oil does not immediately come to mind when cooking Indian cuisine, but it does have a time and place: Notably, in fusion dishes. Indian chefs are increasingly incorporating Western flavors and techniques into their repertoire, and they have been rewarded with some truly remarkable results. Paneer pizza, for instance, has become extremely popular, with olive oil still shining through as the gold standard for making the dough soft, pliable, and flavorful. Recipes for leafy salads with paneer also exist, where olive oil carries the flavor of various dressings. Culinary applications aside, you might be interested in using olive oil for its health benefits: It is famous for offering antioxidants like vitamin E.

Generally, you can cook with olive oil at medium to high heat; its smoke point ranges from 350 degrees Fahrenheit to 470 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on whether you are using extra virgin olive oil or regular olive oil. Of course, in addition to the smoke point, you should also consider flavor. At its best, olive oil lends fruity and herbaceous notes to a dish. Extra virgin olive oil tends to have a stronger flavor, while light or regular olive oil is more subtle. In most cases, I would opt for the latter when cooking Indian cuisine to not take the spotlight away from the flavors of any given masala.

Safflower, rapeseed, rice bran, soybean, and sunflower oils are all neutral oils that can be used when cooking Indian food. In fact, while they are markedly less sexy than ingredients like ghee and mustard oil, their neutrality grants them versatility. These oils are often combined into one bottle of vegetable oil and sold at an affordable price, making them accessible to folks from many backgrounds. While vegetable oils are prevalent across the Indian subcontinent, the most frequently used variety is not the same in every region, and it often depends on buying power: Those with more disposable income are likely to purchase oils with greater purported health benefits.

We reach for such oils on an everyday basis when making basic dals, gravies, and vegetable dishes where a strongly flavored oil would otherwise overpower certain spices and ingredients. That said, vegetable oils do not come entirely without flavor. If you have access to pure rice bran oil, for instance, it can add a subtly nutty flavor to complement everything from pickles to curries. The affordability of vegetable oils is also why they are commonly chosen to deep fry snacks like samosa and pakoda, as well as breads like poori and bhatura. Indeed, the smoke point of vegetable oil is high, hovering around 400 degrees Fahrenheit; however, this can vary depending on the specific plants used.