Mustard Oil - Is it the right choice?

Ofcourse Yes!! Sometimes I wonder How my life would be without Mustard Oil. Since ages, we have been using mustard oil in our daily lives. Whether its a tan on skin, cracked heels, brittle nails, good for scalp and hair, or a pain in chest due to cough, or the simple cooking, Mustard oil has always been a saviour. As a kid, when I used to had rashes on knees because of my ruthless plays, my father used to apply mustard oil on it, and the pain, the mark of rash used to vanish magically in few days.

Mom used to cook all vegetables in mustard oil and so did my mother-in-law. My in-laws used to have only desi ghee and Mustard oil. And I must say that it was a perfect choice. Specially the summer vegetables like Bhindi(Ladyfinger) , Karele, they taste superb in it. So much so, the fried foods like Bread Pakora, Bread Aloo Pakora, Amla Achar taste amazing in this oil but also they have better shelf life. I have heard about few people avoiding it for consumption and I have no reason not to eat it or use it for external use. I would share the long-term benefits of using this oil as I have been having it practically for more than 4 decades and living a healthy life by god's grace and the use of mustard oil in India goes back to several hundred decades.

Mustard Oil is a very rich source of mono-unsaturated fatty acids which means the good fat for the body and a good heart health. It has Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids which helps lower cholesterol. These days people buy fancy refined oils unaware of the fact that refined oil disturb the digestion and over long-term use they affect the joints specially knee. A few researchers have even proved that it is healthier than olive oil as its composed of good ratios of fatty acids.

Now that we are talking about the benefits of this oil, let me clear a myth that using mustard oil on skin / face makes you look darker. Its exactly opposite. Applying on face by taking a few drops on palm, makes your skin smooth and the tan goes away. You may mix it with Besan, Honey etc to make a home made Ubtan and use it twice a week.

Those who are new in Kitchen, I would like to share my first experience with cooking. Just for the record, this was my precisely first day in kitchen as a cook. So I made Bhindi and as I was a novice, I pour mustard oil in Kadai. Once it was warm, I added bhindi with spices and I thought that I was the Chef of the house now till my father-in-law asked me why did I make Bhindi in raw oil and I was dumbstruck as I didnt know that this oil has to be cooked as well. So my friends, remember to burn this oil properly (from dark yellow to almost transparent color, takes around 1 min) and once done, let it cool a little bit and then add spices with veggies.

Hope you enjoy cooking with this king of oils..Happy Cooking!!

Dont forget to share your experience with me.