Why Indians Are Obsessed With Mustard Oil And Will Continue To Be Into The Future

Whether you¡¯re obsessed about the unique flavour of coconut oil or the omnipresence of healthy olive oil in your food, mustard oil remains one of the oils that can virtually never be replaced from Indian kitchens. There¡¯s good reason why chefs across the country use it as their preferred choice of oil to bring out the flavour in traditional Indian cuisines.

If you¡¯re not used to having it, it's pungent taste and unique flavour will soon have you addicted to it if you decide to give it a try.

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"From the taste point of view, mustard oil is an acquired taste for most people. Although pungent in character, mustard oil brings tremendous flavours to any dish. I believe that there is no ingredient that comes close to it¡ªmustard oil has a unique texture to it. At the Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi, we use mustard oil in dishes such as Mustard Prawns and Bhatti Murgh," he said.

Mustard oil is healthy at the core

Rich in monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats mustard oil can help lower bad cholesterol and raise good HDL cholesterol levels, while keeping your cholesterol levels in check and improve your cardiovascular health.

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"Mustard oil also works well as an antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal agent and can help fight bacterial infections in the digestive system," Executive Chef Arun Sundararaj told IANS.

It is also healthier than a lot of other options out there

"It has an edge over other oils due to the optimum ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and its low content of saturated fats. It contains about 60 per cent monounsaturated fats (MUFA), as well as polyunsaturated fats (PUFA), and saturated fats. These fatty acids are considered 'good fats'," says Executive Chef Sonu Koithara.

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¡°These good fats lower the risk of developing heart diseases and is also a very powerful natural stimulant and improves digestion and appetite by stimulating digestive juices,¡± adds Koithara.

Additionally, he states that there¡¯s plenty of research out there that reveal the linolenic acid in mustard oil when converted to omega-3 fatty acids can help fight cancers as well.

"It is recommended that one does not use mustard oil as the sole medium for cooking and instead uses a combination of different oils depending on the dish you are cooking. Mustard oil has a high smoking point and as a result, is ideal for deep frying," adds Sundararaj.

"While mustard oil complements both vegetarian and non-vegetarian ingredients, dishes such as pickles of all kinds taste best when made in mustard oil. In addition, mustard oil can be used as a salad dressing along with lemon and honey.

"Also there are many Bengali fish preparations like sarson bata maach, paturi fish and other dishes like mangsho (mutton), murgir jhol (chicken) are best enjoyed when cooked in mustard oil," said Sundarajan.

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"There are some ingredients that can never be replaced in the Indian kitchen and mustard oil is one such essential because of its unique and pungent flavour," Sundararaj said.

Pointing to mustard oil's immense health benefits, Koithara said it is very good during winter as it produces body heat and protects the body from cold.

"For this reason, people in Rajasthan use mustard oil on their bodies during winter to keep the skin supple and themselves healthy. Additionally, mustard oil has been used extensively as a cure for cold and cough for decades," he added.