The history of Indian cooking is the history of cold-pressed oils. Ghani-pressed mustard in Bengal and Rajasthan. Til ka tel (sesame) in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. Coconut oil in Kerala. Groundnut oil in Andhra. Each region developed its cuisine around the oil its land could grow and stone-press.
What refining removes
Modern refined oils go through degumming, neutralisation with sodium hydroxide, bleaching with activated clay, and deodorisation at 240°C. Each step is designed to produce a neutral, shelf-stable product — and each step removes the very compounds that gave traditional oils their health value.
“Cold-pressed mustard oil is not just a cooking medium. It contains allyl isothiocyanates that give it antimicrobial properties, ALA omega-3 fatty acids at a 1:2 ratio with omega-6, and a heat stability from its MUFA content that makes it suitable for most Indian cooking.”
The omega ratio problem
Chronic inflammation is partly driven by an imbalanced omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. Traditional cold-pressed mustard oil has a ratio of 1:2 (omega-3 to omega-6). Commercial refined sunflower oil has a ratio of approximately 1:40. The difference is a 20-fold increase in pro-inflammatory fatty acids entering every cell membrane in your body with every meal.
- Use cold-pressed mustard oil for stir-frying and tadka — its MUFA content is heat-stable.
- Use cold-pressed sesame oil for finishing dishes — add after cooking is complete.
- Both oils should be stored away from light and used within 4–6 months of pressing.
- Never heat cold-pressed oils beyond their smoke point — for mustard, this is 160°C (well below deep-frying temperature).
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