Mustard oil

There are two different oils that the term ‘mustard oil’ refers to.  Both are made from mustard seed and each has its own uses: Culinary mustard oil is a fatty vegetable oil, made from pressed seeds. The essential oil, made by grinding seeds with water and extracting the oil by distillation, is used therapeutically for massage.   Uses Mustard oil is the most popular oil in Indian cooking and is used to make many traditional dishes.  It has a pungent, hot and nutty taste and is used to marinate and flavour food and also in the cooking process as a frying oil. Its popularity has declined over the years due to cheaper vegetable oils being…

Regional influences and styles of cooking

Indian cuisine is renowned for its sophisticated use of exotic spices and herbs in its dishes. Rice and pulses combined with rich spices such as chilli pepper, black mustard seed, cumin, turmeric, fenugreek, ginger, coriander and asafoetida form the staple ingredients in most dishes.

The basics

There are a few basics that anyone creating a curry will need to know and a few ingredients that are almost always used.

We discuss these curry basics here as well as giving you an overview of the regional influences that impact how curries are prepared….