Sesame oil for Pongal and Sankranti works best on the savoury side of the menu. Use it for tempering, kootu, poriyal, tamarind rice and idli podi. The sweets lean on ghee, jaggery and sesame seeds rather than the oil, and deep frying needs a different oil. Here is where each one fits.

Harvest festivals fill the kitchen with the smell of fresh rice, jaggery and roasting sesame seeds. Sesame shows up in many forms across the menu, and it is easy to mix up the seed and the oil. This guide sorts it out, so you know exactly where gingelly oil for Pongal earns its place.

Gingelly Oil for Cooking and What to Expect From It

Gingelly oil is another name for sesame oil. Tamil kitchens call it nallennai, and Telugu kitchens call it nuvvula nune. Gingelly oil for cooking has a mild earthy flavour that sits well with mustard seeds, curry leaves, tamarind and spice powders.

Gramiyaa's wood cold pressed sesame oil is pressed only once, in wood and stone mills. It is unrefined, has zero trans fat and carries no preservatives. Every batch is made in-house, lab-tested and traceable, and you can check yours at trace.gramiyaa.com. The smoke point is 190°C, which suits sautéing, tempering and dressing.

Sesame Oil for Pongal and Sankranti Dishes at a Glance

Dish

Does sesame oil fit?

Notes

Tempering for sambar, kootu and kuzhambu

Yes

Mustard seeds and curry leaves go well with the earthy flavour

Poriyal and vegetable stir-fries

Yes

Medium heat is enough

Tamarind rice and lemon rice

Yes

Use it for the tempering

Idli podi and chutney podi

Yes

Mix a spoonful in at the table

Salads and raw dressings

Yes

A small drizzle is enough

Ven pongal tadka

Often ghee

Ghee is the usual choice here

Sweet pongal and sesame-jaggery sweets

Not needed

Made with ghee, jaggery and sesame seeds

Deep-fried snacks

Use groundnut oil

Smoke point of 210°C

Sesame Oil in Pongal Recipes

A Pongal meal rarely stops at one dish. There is usually a spread of sides around the pongal itself, and most of them start with a tadka.

Tempering for sambar, kootu and kuzhambu

Heat a spoonful of oil on a medium flame, add mustard seeds, let them crackle, then add curry leaves and dried red chillies. This is where sesame oil in Pongal recipes does most of its work. The flavour is mild enough to let the vegetables lead, and earthy enough that you notice it. Keep the flame steady and take the pan off the heat if the oil starts to smoke. Add the tadka at the end of cooking, straight over the dish, and the aroma stays strong at the table. A little goes a long way, so a 1L pack lasts through a busy festive week.

Tamarind rice and lemon rice

Flavoured rice dishes are a good fit for sesame oil for South Indian cooking. The oil carries the mustard seeds, peanuts and chillies through the rice, and it pairs well with the sourness of tamarind or lemon.

Idli podi and chutney podi

Many South Indian homes mix a spoonful of oil into podi at the table. A little sesame oil loosens the powder and adds its own earthy note to the plate.

Where ghee still leads

Ven pongal is usually tempered with ghee, and sweet pongal is made with ghee too. Sesame oil does not need to replace it. If you want to try it in even pongal anyway, expect a different flavour from the classic version.

Sesame Oil for Sankranti

How you use sesame oil for Sankranti depends on where you celebrate and what your family cooks. In many homes, sesame appears as seeds in sweets made with jaggery, and those recipes do not call for the oil at all. The oil comes in with the savoury dishes served alongside. In Telugu kitchens, for example, nuvvula nune is a familiar oil for everyday curries and stews.

If a Sankranti sweet or snack in your family needs deep frying, check the recipe and the heat. Gramiyaa sesame oil is best for sautéing, tempering and dressing, while groundnut oil has a higher smoke point of 210°C and suits deep frying.

Sesame Oil for Indian Cooking After the Festival

The same bottle works for everyday meals. Sesame oil for Indian cooking fits a dal tadka, a quick vegetable stir-fry, a rasam, or a salad dressing with lemon and salt. Since the flavour is mild, you can use it daily without it taking over the dish. If you cook for a mixed table with guests from different regions, a mild oil like this is easy to agree on, because it adds depth without a strong aftertaste.

Sesame Oil for Traditional Cooking and How to Store It

Wood and stone mills are the older way of pressing oil, and sesame oil for traditional cooking keeps its flavour best when you store it well:

• Keep the pack in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight.

• Close the cap after every use.

• Do not use a pack that is bloated or leaking.

• Use it within the 12-month shelf life.

Allergen note: the oil contains sesame seeds and is made in a facility that also handles tree nuts, coconuts, peanuts and sesame seeds. Check this if you are cooking for guests.

Get Your Festive Pantry Ready

If sesame oil is going into your festive cooking, start with a pack you can trace. Order Gramiyaa Wood Cold Pressed Sesame Oil online, then scan the QR on the pack to see where your batch came from.

FAQs

Is gingelly oil the same as sesame oil?

Yes. Gingelly oil is a common name for sesame oil. You may also hear nallennai in Tamil and nuvvula nune in Telugu. In most kitchens the terms are used interchangeably.

Which Pongal dishes use sesame oil?

Sesame oil suits the tempering for sambar, kootu and kuzhambu, vegetable poriyal, tamarind rice and lemon rice. It also goes into podi. Ven pongal is usually tempered with ghee.

What is sesame oil used for in Sankranti cooking?

Sankranti sweets usually use sesame seeds with jaggery, so they do not need the oil. The oil is used in savoury dishes served with the festive meal, such as curries and rice dishes.

Can I deep fry with sesame oil?

Gramiyaa sesame oil has a smoke point of 190°C and is best for sautéing, tempering and dressing. For deep frying, groundnut oil with a 210°C smoke point is a better fit.

How should I store sesame oil?

Keep it in a cool, dry place away from sunlight, with the cap closed. Gramiyaa sesame oil has a 12-month shelf life. Do not use a pack that is bloated or leaking.