Mustard oil

Gyck

I've got a great recipe for a fish curry that uses mustard oil. The first time I decided to make it I went into town to pick up a bottle of mustard oil. Now, I'd never seen or used the stuff before, but found it in the Asian Markets, brought it home and used it to make the curry. Very tasty it was too.

Anyhow, I happened to read the label on the bottle while I was making the curry and it said 'for external use only'. That worried me a bit initially, but I suffered no ill effects after consuming the dish.

Many currys were made, and finally the bottle was empty. I went back into town to pick up a new one. While at the checkout in one of the other asian markets, the girl on the till asked me what I intended to use it for. When I said cooking she took it off me!

Now I've done some reading about mustard oil since then. I've read that it can cause poisoning. So, before I manage to kill myself (or my guests at my next dinner) does anyone know any more about this?

simu

They usemustard oil a lot for cooking in India but maybe the product you bought was intended for some non-culinary usage. Maybe you could ask the woman at the market or google the name of the oil and see what comes up. I'm curious!

dudara

Clean mustard oil can be used in cooking, but some oils become adulterated during their processing and can become very dangerous. See here and here .

It can also be used on cuts etc to help stop bleeding

Gyck

Yes, I've read about the medicinal applications of the oil. I also read an interesting report here about adultration of oil.

It's frustrating that I've only seen one brand of mustard oil for sale in the various asian shops I've checked out. I checked the brand online (the name of which I can't remember right now), the company distribute a large array of food products.

dudara

I have a bottle at home for cooking. I can't remember the brand, but it's got a yellow label with a grean leaf (leaves) on it. Ring any bells?

Gyck

Yes, that sounds like the same bottle. The brand is KTC.

dudara

That sounds about right. can't remember where I bought it though. Possible in the market on Drury Street

ecksor

I was in a local shop here yesterday and came across a few bottles of the stuff in different sizes. Considered picking up a bottle but then dimly remembered this thread and couldn't remember what the concensus was. There wasn't anything on the label to lead me to believe it was for cooking or not for cooking [*] so I left it. I might have to go back and get a bottle of it now. Any chance of posting up your recipe?

[*] Incidentally, shops here are quite ethnically diverse, which means you can find some very interesting things, but occasionally I can't figure out what the hell it is because the label is in no language I recognise. Very frustrating.