India’s Oil

Mustard Oil is known to have ancient origins. In fact, it is one of the oldest recorded spices in the history of humankind. Historical records contain a multitude of references to Mustard Oil, not just for cooking but also for healing. For instance, back in 530 BCE the famous Greek philosopher Pythagoras mentioned Mustard Oil as an effective remedy for scorpion bites!

Some food anthropologists believe that the ancient Sumerians in Mesopotamia used crushed mustard seeds for various preparations in circa 2000 BCE. There is also archaeological evidence to indicate that Mustard Oil was used as part of funerary offerings during the entombment rituals of the pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty (1550 to 1292 BCE) in Egypt.

The Roman civilisation was founded in 753 BCE – and the Romans really, really loved mustard. They even used it for making booze! To unfermented grape juice (called “Mustum”) the added mustard seeds to create a hot, burning flavour (called “Ardens”). They called this fiery pungent wine Mustum Ardens – from where the English name “Mustard” is derived. The word “Mustard” also has its roots in the Anglo-Norman word “mustarde” and the French word “mostarde”.

There are food historians who believe – erroneously, we may add – that mustard seeds and Mustard Oil reached India via the Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama. This is completely wrong. References to mustard and Mustard Oil can be found in Sanskrit treatises that go as far back as 3300 BCE. These ancient records mention both the culinary as well as medicinal uses of Mustard Oil.

Moreover, there are ancient Ayurveda texts that date back to circa 800 BCE that describe multifaceted medicinal and curative uses of cold-pressed Mustard Oil (known as “Sharshap Taila” in Sanskrit).

So let’s set aside Sumerian, Egyptian, Roman, Portuguese and other claims to Mustard Oil. It is India’s Oil. It was cultivated in the foothills of the Himalayas more than 5000 years ago – and continues to be used and revered for its amazing flavour, versatility and health benefits.

Uniquely Uttaranchali!

Today our meandering culinary journey takes us back to a destination that we have visited several times in the past – the breathtakingly beautiful foothills of the Himalayas… the picturesque state of Uttarakhand, also known as Uttaranchal.

There is a very good reason for which we keep coming back to the hills of Uttarakhand: the amazing food! The simple hill folk who dwell here know how to use cold-pressed Mustard Oil in incredibly creative ways.

The dish we will be making today is a traditional Uttaranchali preparation called Bhatwani. It gets its name from the main ingredient: Pahadi Bhatt Dal (black beans) that grows in abundance in these lush foothills.

Here are the ingredients that you will require. 

Ingredients:

• Black Beans (Bhatt Ki Dal): 200 grams
• Garlic (Lasun): 5 cloves
• Red Chillies, whole: 5
• Mustard Oil: 100 millilitres
• Cumin (Jeera) Seeds: 1 teaspoon
• Coriander (Dhania) Leaves: 1 tablespoon
• Coriander (Dhania) Powder: Half a teaspoon
• Red Chilli Powder: Half a teaspoon
• Turmeric (Haldi) Powder: Just a pinch
• Asafoetida (Heeng): Just a pinch
• Garam Masala: Half a teaspoon
• Ghee: 1 tablespoon
• Black Peppercorns: 4
• Salt: to taste

The quantities mentioned above are for preparing four servings. Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings that you require.

Preparation:

Heat a tava (griddle) on a Medium flame. Place the black beans on the hot tava and roast for around three minutes or so. When you smell the rich aroma of the roasted beans, turn the flame off. Then coarsely grind the beans and keep aside.

Coarsely chop the coriander leaves.

Method:

Heat the Mustard Oil in a pan on a High flame. Wait until the oil reaches its smoking point. When this happens, you will notice streams of white smoke rising from the surface of the hot oil. This is perfectly natural – in fact, it indicates that the Mustard Oil you are using is pure and of good quality. Once the oil reaches its smoking point, turn the flame down to Medium. You are now ready to start cooking.

To the hot oil add the garlic cloves. When the garlic turns light brown in colour add the red chillies; cumin seeds; asafoetida; and black peppercorns. Fry for around 30 seconds.

Next, add the roasted and ground black beans and continue to cook for another two minutes.

Add the coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt to taste. Then add around 750 millilitres of water. Turn the flame up to High and bring the contents of the pan to a boil.

Reduce the flame to Medium. Cover the pan and cook till the ground black beans become soft and create a rich, thick texture with the other ingredients. Then reduce the heat to Low and let the contents of the pan simmer for around 20 minutes.

Sprinkle the garam masala over the top of the pan and give the contents a final stir. Then turn the flame off.

Transfer the contents of the pan to a serving dish. Sprinkle ghee over the top of the dish. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Your traditional Uttaranchali Bhatwani is now ready. Serve it hot. This dish is usually eaten with steaming hot rice.

You can find more recipes at : https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/

Potato Fusion

In today’s post we will explore another one of those crossover recipes that this blog has written about on various occasions. In the past, we have looked at exciting fusion dishes that have been adapted from British, French, Persian and other European culinary styles and items.

Today we will be making an Indian adaptation of Mustard-Roasted Potatoes, a recipe made famous by Ina Garten, an American food writer who is well-known as the host of the television programme Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network channel – this is a highly popular show that ran for 14 years and it made Ina Garten a household name across the United States.

So let’s get started on our Indian fusion version of Mustard-Roasted Potatoes. Here are the ingredients that you will require. 

Ingredients:

• Potatoes: 1 kilogram (small-sized potatoes)
• Onions: 2, medium-sized
• Mustard Oil: 3 tablespoons
• Mustard Seeds (Rai): 2 tablespoons
• Coriander (Dhania) Leaves: 2 tablespoons
• Black Pepper Powder: 1 teaspoon
• Salt: to taste

Ina Garten prefers to use small Yukon Gold potatoes for making this dish. You can use any small-sized potatoes – for example, the kind that you would use for making baby potato dishes.

For the black pepper powder, Ina Garten says it is important to use freshly ground black peppercorns for this preparation. The freshly ground pepper has a more effusive taste that heightens the effect this recipe has on your taste buds.

The quantities mentioned above are for preparing six servings. Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings that you require.

Preparation:

Peel and wash the potatoes. Cut them into quarters (the smaller ones can be cut into halves).

Peel and wash the onions. Cut the ends of the onions off and discard them. Cut the onions into slices, and then cut each circular slice into quarters.

Coarsely grind the mustard seeds using a mortar and pestle.

Coarsely chop the coriander leaves.

Method:

Preheat your oven to 220^o C (425^o F).

Take the potato pieces in a large pan with a handle (like a frying pan for instance). Add half the Mustard Oil, half the ground mustard seeds, half the black pepper powder and salt to taste. Toss them to mix all the ingredients well. Put the tossed potato pieces on a plate and then use the same pan to toss the onion pieces with the remaining Mustard Oil, ground mustard seeds, black pepper powder and salt to taste (keep in mind that you have already added salt to the potatoes). Put the tossed onion pieces on a separate plate.

Put the tossed potato pieces on an oven tray and carefully place the tray in the preheated oven. Bake for around 45 minutes till the potatoes turn light brown in colour and become soft on the inside (use a fork to check). Use a spatula to turn the potato pieces over at regular intervals to ensure even browning.

During the last 15 minutes of the baking process, add the tossed onion pieces to the oven tray. This will ensure that the onion pieces do not burnt in case the potatoes take too long to become soft. Use a spatula to mix the onion pieces with the potato pieces.

When the potato pieces are done, transfer the contents of the oven tray to a serving dish. Sprinkle a little salt over the top, if required. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Your Indian-style fusion version of Mustard-Roasted Potatoes is now ready. Serve it hot. You can have this as a delicious snack or serve it as an exciting side dish with a touch of pizzazz. Enjoy!

You can find more recipes at : https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/

The Neuroprotective Oil

Cold-pressed Mustard Oil has powerful neuroprotective properties because the oil (and the seeds) is rich in natural antioxidants. These antioxidants are in the form of molecules called polyphenols which are secondary metabolites. The main polyphenols in Mustard Oil are gallic acid, caffeic acid, quercetin and kaempferol. Numerous epidemiological studies have shown that diets rich in polyphenols are associated with the prevention of chronic diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disease. Recent research has now added neurodegenerative disease to this list.

According to an article published in Nutritional Neuroscience, a well-known international journal on Nutrition, Diet and Nervous System, the evidence in support of the significant neuroprotective effects of polyphenol-rich diets has grown in the course of the past decade. Various cell culture models have shown that polyphenols are capable of protecting neuronal cells by attenuating oxidative stress and damage.

Going forward, the article reiterates that further research is needed to explore the ways in which these neuroprotective properties can be used in the treatment (and prevention) of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This could change the way neurodegenerative diseases are managed in the years ahead.

These findings are significant because the global burden of neurodegenerative disease has been growing steadily. The prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease alone is estimated to be as high as 24 million worldwide. In addition to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, other common neurodegenerative diseases include Friedreich ataxia, Huntington’s disease and spinal muscular atrophy.

The natural antioxidants found in cold-pressed Mustard Oil are proven to protect bio-molecules from oxidative damage – and this attribute gives the oil vital neuroprotective properties. You can take a small step towards protecting yourself from a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases by making Mustard Oil your primary cooking medium so that you can enrich your daily diet with the polyphenols and antioxidants that keep your brain cells healthy and prevent cell damage.

Cabbage – with a Zing

Many people disdainfully think of cabbage as a bunch of bland tasting leaves that are used to make an equally bland tasting salad – but it doesn’t always have to be that way. Up in the northern regions of India there is a traditional preparation of cabbage with potatoes cooked in Mustard Oil along with an exciting array of spices… a preparation that adds a hot tingling warmly enticing zing to the otherwise subdued flavour of cabbage.

In today’s post, we will be making a dish called Patta Gobi Aloo Ki Sabzi – a recipe that will dramatically alter your opinion of the humble cabbage. The soft succulence of the potatoes and the crunchiness of the cabbage combine to create a delicious experience for your taste buds.

Here are the ingredients that you will require. 

Ingredients:

• Cabbage (Patta Gobi): 250 grams
• Potatoes (Aloo): 250 grams
• Mustard Oil: 2 tablespoons
• Green Chillies: 2
• Cumin (Jeera) Seeds: Half a teaspoon
• Ginger (Adrak): One half-inch piece
• Asafoetida (Heeng): Just a pinch
• Turmeric (Haldi) Powder: Half a teaspoon
• Coriander (Dhania) Powder: Half a teaspoon
• Coriander (Dhania) Leaves: 1 tablespoon
• Red Chilli Powder: Half a teaspoon
• Mango Powder (Amchur): Just a pinch
• Garam Masala: Just a pinch
• Salt: to taste

The quantities mentioned above are for preparing two servings. Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings that you require.

Preparation:

Wash the cabbage and cut the leaves into small pieces.

Peel and wash the potatoes and cut them into small cubes..

Finely chop the green chillies.

Peel, wash and grate the ginger.

Coarsely chop the coriander leaves.

Method:

Heat the Mustard Oil in a pan on a High flame till the oil reaches its smoking point. When this point is reached streams of aromatic white smoke will rise gently from the surface of the hot oil. Reduce the flame to Medium.

Add the cumin seeds and asafoetida to the hot oil and sauté till the cumin seeds start to splutter.

Next, add the chopped green chillies, the grated ginger, turmeric powder and coriander powder. Stir to mix all the ingredients well. Continue to sauté.

Now add the cabbage, potato, red chilli powder, garam masala and salt to taste. Stir to ensure that the cabbage and potato pieces are well-coated in the spices. Then add a couple of tablespoons of water. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for around seven minutes.

After seven minutes remove the lid and check whether the potato pieces are done (use a fork to see if the potato pieces are soft). In case you find that the potatoes are not done, cover the pan again, reduce the flame to Low and cook for another five minutes or so.

Now add the mango powder and stir to mix well – then turn the flame off.

Transfer the contents of the pan to a serving dish and garnish with the chopped coriander leaves.

Your traditional north Indian Patta Gobi Aloo Ki Sabzi is now ready. Serve it hot. This dish is usually eaten with hot butter-coated Chapatti.

You can find more recipes at : https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/

Easy on the Intestines

Intestinal health is an important aspect of wellness. After all, problems like sluggish digestion, constipation, poor metabolism and infections within the intestines cause a significant amount of discomfiture, especially when they tend to recur at frequent intervals. It is, therefore, important to keep the gastrointestinal tract healthy and functioning efficiently at all times.

A regular intake of cold-pressed Mustard Oil via one’s daily diet helps in keeping the intestines healthy and facilitates good digestion. Using Mustard Oil as one’s primary cooking medium improves gut movement and tones the overall functioning of the digestive system. 

Let’s take a closer look at the various attributes that enable Mustard Oil to keep the gastrointestinal tract healthy. For starters, Mustard Oil is a powerful stimulant. It increases gastric secretions within the intestines, thereby improving appetite as well as enhancing the efficiency of the digestion process. A regular intake of Mustard Oil also improves metabolism because the oil is rich in folate (Vitamin B9), thiamine (Vitamin B1) and riboflavin (Vitamin B2).

Cold-pressed Mustard Oil also has strong anti-inflammatory properties. This helps in reducing inflammation in the lining of the stomach and in the intestinal walls. It also helps in providing relief from irritable bowel syndrome. Additionally, Mustard Oil has powerful antibacterial properties, enabling it to effectively fight bacterial infections in the intestines – not just the intestines, but also in the urinary tract and colon.

Mustard Oil also prevents indigestion and constipation. The oil is rich in dietary fibre which is proven to improve digestion and ease bowel movement.

The many and varied attributes of Mustard Oil enable it to offer a complete, integrated solution for intestinal health. The best way to keep your gastrointestinal tract happy is by making Mustard Oil your primary cooking medium. In this way, every meal you cook will contribute to a happy gut.

Colocasia Calling

The Colocasia root is a crunchy yam that is known as Arbi in India. In addition to being delicious (if prepared properly), Arbi also offers a wide range of important health benefits like protection from heart disease, reduced risk of cancer and control of blood sugar levels.

The dish that we will be preparing today is called Arbi Sarson – a preparation of Colocasia in a rich mustard paste. Here are the ingredients that you will require. 

Ingredients:

• Colocasia (Arbi): 500 grams
• Onion: 1, medium-sized
• Tomatoes: 2
• Ladies Finger (Bhindi): 4
• Ginger (Adrak): One half-inch piece
• Garlic (Lasun): 12 cloves
• Mustard Seeds (Rai): 2 teaspoons
• Mustard Oil: 3 tablespoons
• Turmeric (Haldi) Powder: Just a pinch
• Red Chilli Powder: 1 teaspoon
• Salt: to taste

The quantities mentioned above are for preparing four servings. Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings that you require.

Preparation:

Wash and boil the Arbi. Cut it into bite-sized cubes.

Wash, peel and chop the onion.

Chop the tomatoes into small pieces.

Chop the ladies finger into small half-inch pieces.

Peel, wash and grate the ginger.

Peel and wash the garlic cloves.

In a blender, take the mustard seeds and garlic cloves and make a thick paste.

Method:

Heat the Mustard Oil in a pan on a High flame till the oil reaches its smoking point and starts emitting streams of aromatic white smoke. Reduce the flame to Medium. Take a tablespoon of this Mustard Oil in a frying pan.

To the hot oil in the frying pan add the Arbi and ladies finger pieces, and sauté for around three minutes on a Medium flame till the Arbi turns golden brown in colour. Turn the flame off. Keep the frying pan aside.

To the earlier pan, add the onion pieces along with the grated ginger, and sauté for around three minutes. Add the fried Arbi and ladies finger, and continue to sauté.

Next, add the chopped tomatoes, the mustard-garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt to taste. Stir to mix well and continue cooking for around five minutes. Then turn the flame off.

Your traditional north Indian Arbi Sarson is now ready. Serve it hot. This dish is usually eaten with hot Chapatti fresh off the tava.

You can find more recipes at : https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/

Eat Local

Many nutritionists, dieticians and doctors believe that you should predominantly use fruits, nuts, vegetables, grains, oils and ingredients that have traditionally been available in your region for thousands of years. The human body gradually makes these a part of its metabolism and derives significant health benefits from such ingredients. The introduction of an “alien” ingredient may not deliver the same health benefits that it delivers in the region of its origin.

This is why well-known cardiologist Dr S. C. Manchanda is disdainful of the olive oil fad. He points out that while olive oil is indeed a healthy cooking medium, it is effective in Mediterranean climates, in Mediterranean cuisines (which use lots of red meat, seafood, nuts, berries, beans, yogurt, etc.) and in conjunction with a Mediterranean lifestyle which involves walking long distances in hilly terrain. Olive oil does not work in the Indian culinary milieu. This oil has a low smoking point which makes it unsuitable for Indian cooking. Moreover, many of the nutrients in olive oil degrade during the high heat and multistage cooking processes that typify Indian dishes. That’s why Dr Manchanda does not approve of an “alien” cooking medium like olive oil being used in India.

Experts like Dr Manchanda are strongly in favour of traditional Indian oils like cold-pressed Mustard Oil and Desi Ghee. Mustard Oil was first cultivated in the Himalayan foothills more than 5,000 years ago and became the primary cooking medium in north India. Across thousands of years, the local population got physically acclimatized and accustomed to the oil, making it an integral part of their dietary habits. Substituting an imported ingredient (like olive oil) in place of Mustard Oil would be a retrograde step because the health benefits of Mustard Oil would be removed and no health benefits would be derived from the new oil.

That is why it is so important to make local choices while selecting foods and ingredients. And when it comes to oil, choose Mustard Oil because it’s innately Indian and has been around for thousands of years.

Tomato Time!

Almost every kind of vegetable acquires an added dimension of taste when cold-pressed Mustard Oil is used in the preparation. In earlier posts we have already demonstrated this by using potatoes, cauliflower and various other vegetables. In today’s post, we are going to add a touch of tingle and sizzle to the simple, everyday tomato. You are going to love this flavour!

This is a preparation of Tomatoes in Mustard Gravy. Here are the ingredients that you will require. 

Ingredients:

• Tomatoes: 2, large
• Onion: 1, medium-sized
• Coriander (Dhania) Leaves: 1 tablespoon
• Ginger (Adrak) Paste: Half a teaspoon
• Garlic (Lasun) Paste: Half a teaspoon
• Mustard Paste: 2 tablespoons
• Mustard Oil: 3 tablespoons
• Cumin (Jeera) Powder: Just a pinch
• Red Chilli Powder: 2 teaspoons
• Sugar: 1 teaspoon
• Salt: to taste

The quantities mentioned above are for preparing two servings. Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings that you require.

Preparation:

Cut the tomatoes into quarters.

Wash, peel and chop the onion.

Coarsely chop the coriander leaves.

Method:

Heat the Mustard Oil in a pan on a High flame till the oil reaches its smoking point and starts emitting streams of aromatic white smoke. Reduce the flame to Medium.

Add the onion pieces and fry till they turn light brown in colour.

Next, add the ginger paste and garlic paste. Continue to fry for a couple of minutes.

Now add the cumin powder and red chilli powder, and continue to fry for half a minute or so. Add salt to taste and stir well.

Add the tomato pieces and fry till they become soft.

Now add the mustard paste along with the sugar. Keep stirring. At this point, you can add a little water if you want the gravy to be less thick in consistency. Continue to cook for another two to three minutes. Then turn the flame off. 

Transfer the contents of the pan to a serving dish and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Your delicious preparation of Tomatoes in Mustard Gravy is now ready. Serve it hot. This dish can be eaten with either Rice or Roti.

You can find more recipes at : https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/

Authentically Odia

This blog has written extensively about chefs who strive to maintain the authenticity of regional cuisines by relying on the same locally sourced ingredients that have been used for hundreds if not thousands of years. In this context, we have written about Chef Abbas Bhat who avers that Kashmiri food, in particular the legendary Wazwan dishes, can never be prepared without cold-pressed Mustard Oil. Likewise, we have written about Chef Manjit Gill, a towering figure on India’s culinary landscape. He believes that it is impossible to retain the authentic flavours of Punjabi and other north Indian cuisines without using generous amounts of Mustard Oil.

In today’s post we feature another chef who is passionate about preserving the authenticity of traditional cuisines from Odisha. His name is Chef Abinas Nayak. He recently shot to fame when he emerged as the winner of the sixth season of the well-known cooking reality show, MasterChef. Chef Nayak’s culinary training began very early – at home. That’s why his favourite food continues to be home-cooked meals. He learnt the art of cooking from his grandmother and his mother. They were sticklers for authenticity – and they were ardent users of Mustard Oil.

Chef Nayak believes that food, menus and traditional cuisines can be sustainable only when the ingredients are sourced from the region in which they are being prepared. That’s the way it has been for thousands of years. In recreating the traditional flavours of Odisha, Chef Nayak is emphatic about the use of Mustard Oil. He points out that the authentic flavour of Odia cuisine cannot be created using refined or other oils. Mustard Oil is a must!

To demonstrate the power and popularity of Odia cuisine, the dish that Chef Nayak loves to make is Chicken Besara – a preparation of chicken in rich, thick and delicious mustard gravy. This is, in fact, his signature dish. And it calls for the warmth, aroma and subtle pungency of cold-pressed Mustard Oil. Any other cooking medium will just not work.

So when it comes to authenticity, listen to Chef Nayak. After all, he is a Master Chef who knows his Mustard Oil inside and out. Always trust the specialist!