The market · Fats and oils · South Asia

Mustard oil

Pressed from mustard seed — pungent and sinus-clearing; the cooking oil of Bengal and much of north and east India, and the oil in Punjabi pickles.

pungent · peppery

What to do with it

Rosa Ibarra's Clarified milk punch, mezcal and pineappleMustard oil would soften its edgeIbu Sari's Sambal ijoMustard oil would soften its edgeKenji Hara's Milk punch, with hojichaMustard oil would soften its edge
Classics built on it
BengaliMacher jholFreshwater fish, fried in mustard oil, then simmered in a thin, gingery broth with potato and turmeric — Bengal's everyday fish curry, eaten over rice.No one here has made it yetBengaliShorshe ilishHilsa steaks cooked in a pungent paste of ground mustard seed, green chilli and raw mustard oil — the most prized fish dish in Bengal.No one here has made it yetBengaliKosha mangshoGoat meat fried slowly with onion, ginger, garlic and yoghurt until the masala turns dark and clings — Bengal's Sunday mutton, eaten with luchi or rice.No one here has made it yetBengaliChingri malai curryLarge river prawns simmered in coconut milk with ginger, a little ghee and warm whole spices — mild, sweet and rich, and a dish for guests and weddings.No one here has made it yetBengaliAloo postoPotatoes cooked in a thick paste of ground white poppy seed and green chilli, finished with raw mustard oil — nutty, creamy and plain in the best way.No one here has made it yetKashmiriRogan joshMutton on the bone, browned in hot fat and simmered with yoghurt, fennel, dried ginger and Kashmiri chilli into a deep red gravy that's fragrant more than fiery.No one here has made it yetKashmiriKashmiri dum alooSmall whole potatoes, pricked and fried golden, then simmered slowly in yoghurt with Kashmiri chilli, fennel and dried ginger.No one here has made it yetKashmiriHaakKashmiri collard greens, left in large pieces and simmered plainly with mustard oil, water, dried chilli and asafoetida or garlic.No one here has made it yetRajasthaniKer sangriDried desert berries and beans, soaked and cooked in oil with red chilli, dried mango and spice into something tangy, hot and chewy.No one here has made it yet

Kinds

Kachi ghani
Cold-pressed; the most pungent.
Blended
Mixed with other oils; milder.

If you can't find it

Indian grocers; sometimes labelled for external use only.

  1. 1Rapeseed oil
    The same, with a little mustard powder
    You lose the sharp, wasabi-like pungency when raw.

Goes with

fishnigella seedturmericmustard greens

Knowing it

Where to buy
South Asian grocers. In the UK, US and EU bottles are often labelled 'for external use only', because of its erucic acid.
Worth knowing
Heat it until it just smokes, then let it cool a little before cooking — this tames the raw pungency.

Kitchens that keep it in

West Bengal — eastern India, on the Ganges deltaBengaliFish, rice and mustard: a delta kitchen of sharp mustard oil and freshwater fish, eaten in courses from bitter to sweet, and ending with some of India's most famous sweets.9 classicsKashmir and Jammu — the Kashmir Valley and the hills below it, in India's far northKashmiriLamb, saffron and fennel in a high valley ringed by mountains: meat slow-cooked in yoghurt or red with Kashmiri chilli, greens from the lake, and kahwa against the cold.9 classics

More fats and oils

Fats and oilsAnnatto oilearthy, peppery, goldenrich2 classicsFats and oilsCoconut creamrich, sweet, nutty2 classicsFats and oilsDuck fatrich, savouryrich2 classicsFats and oilsGheenutty, toastyrich34 classics