Sesame Oil (Gingelly Oil, Til Oil)

What is sesame oil?

Sesame oil is the cooking oil pressed from sesame seeds, the small flat seeds of the sesame plant (Sesamum indicum). The seeds may be white, brown or black, and all of them give oil.

It is one of the traditional cooking oils of South India, where it is used for tempering, for pickles and for eating with idli and dosa. It has a nutty smell and a taste that is noticeable in the finished dish.

Sesame oil, gingelly oil, til oil: the names

These are all names for the same oil. Gingelly oil is the English name commonly used in South India. Til oil comes from til, the Hindi word for sesame.

In Kannada it is ellenne or ellu enne: ellu means sesame and enne means oil. In Tamil it is nallennai, in Telugu nuvvula nune, in Malayalam ellenna and in Hindi til ka tel.

Black sesame oil is sesame oil pressed from black sesame seeds.

Cold-pressed, refined and toasted sesame oil

Cold-pressed sesame oil is made by slowly crushing raw sesame seeds in a press, without added heat or chemical solvents, and then filtering the oil instead of refining it. It is golden to amber in colour and keeps the smell and taste of the seed. This is the kind used in Indian cooking.

Refined sesame oil goes through further steps after extraction, such as bleaching and deodorising. It is pale and clear, with very little smell or taste.

Toasted sesame oil is pressed from seeds that have been roasted first. It is dark brown with a strong roasted flavour, and is used in small amounts in East Asian cooking, usually added at the end. It is a seasoning more than a cooking oil, and it is not a substitute for gingelly oil in Indian recipes.

How sesame oil is used in South Indian cooking

Tempering: mustard seeds, curry leaves, dried chillies and hing are fried in sesame oil and poured over rice dishes such as puliyogare and pulihora, and over kuzhambu and chutneys.

Pickles: mango, lime and other South Indian pickles are often made with sesame oil, which is poured over the top so that the pieces stay covered.

Idli podi and chutney powders: the dry powder is mixed with a spoonful of sesame oil on the plate and eaten with idli and dosa.

Dosa: the hot tawa is wiped with a little sesame oil before the batter is spread, and a few drops go over the dosa as it cooks.

Sweets: sesame seeds themselves go into ellu bella, til ladoo and chikki.

How to choose sesame oil

Read the label for how the oil was made: cold-pressed, refined or toasted. For Indian cooking, choose cold-pressed or gingelly oil, not toasted sesame oil.

A cold-pressed sesame oil should smell of sesame and have a golden to amber colour. A little fine sediment at the bottom of the bottle is normal in an oil that is filtered, not refined.

All Organic Mandya oils, including sesame, groundnut, sunflower, coconut, safflower and mustard, are cold-pressed in the same way.

How to store sesame oil

Keep the bottle in a cool, dark place with the cap closed, away from the stove and from direct sunlight. Use a dry spoon or ladle.

Buy a size you will finish within a couple of months of opening, and check the best-before date on the pack. If the oil smells sharp or stale, do not use it.