A morning at the mill
From the first sack of groundnut at 6 am to the bottles settling in the sun.
Which oil for which dish
A simple guide to cooking with groundnut, gingelly and coconut oil.
South Indian kitchens have always used more than one oil, each for what it does best.
Groundnut oil has a high smoke point and a nutty taste, which makes it the everyday oil for deep frying: vadai, bajji, murukku and appalam. It is also good for poriyal and stir-fried vegetables.
Gingelly oil, nallennai, is the oil of Tamil kuzhambu and puli kuzhambu, where its slightly bitter depth balances the tamarind. It is poured raw over idli podi and used to make pickles last, since it resists going rancid. Use it for tempering, not for long deep frying.
Coconut oil is the base of Kerala and coastal cooking: avial, thoran, fish curry and banana chips. It gives a clean sweetness that suits coconut-based gravies.
A good kitchen keeps all three. Buy smaller bottles of the ones you use less, and keep them away from the stove so they last until the last drop.
