Ingredient: Sesame oil
Category: Oils
Season: All
Sesame oil (also known as gingelly oil or til oil) is an organic oil derived from sesames, noted to have the distinctive aroma and taste of its parent seed.
It is often used in South Indian and South east Asian cuisine as a flavour enhancer, e.g. adding it to instant noodles.
Asian sesame oil derives its dark colour and flavour from toasted hulled sesame seeds. It is commonly used in South Indian, Chinese and Korean cuisine, usually added at the end of cooking as a flavour highlight and not used as a cooking medium (as is, for example, peanut oil).
There are many variations in the colour of sesame oil: cold-pressed sesame oil is almost colourless, while Indian sesame oil (gingelly or til oil) is golden and Chinese sesame oil is commonly a dark brown colour. Additionally, the sesame oil used in India usually has jaggery mixed into it, unlike that used elsewhere which is plain.
Cold pressed sesame oil has less flavour than the Chinese, since it is produced directly from raw, rather than toasted seeds.
Sesame oil is traded in any of the forms described above.
Refined sesame oil is very common in Europe and the USA; most margarine is made there from. Cold-pressed sesame oil is available in Western health shops. In most Asian countries, different kinds of hot-pressed sesame oil are preferred
Uses
Sesame oil's popularity in Asia (particularly in South Indian state of Tamil Nadu) can be likened to olive oil's popularity in the Mediterranean.
Its main uses are:
Cooking, Sesame oil carries a premium relative to other cooking oils and is considered more stable than most vegetable oils due to antioxidants in the oil.
Sesame oil is least prone, among cooking oils, to turn rancid, because it has a very high boiling point.
In effect, sesame oil retains its natural structure and does not break down even when heated to a very high temperature.
Body Massage, Sesame oil is reputed for its ability to penetrate the skin easily. Sesame oil is immensely popular in India where it is used in oil massage.
Hair Oil, Applying sesame oil for the hair is believed to result in darker hair. It is also recommended for hair and scalp massage.
Other uses include:
preparation of Ayurvedic drugs,
Industrial Uses include:
a solvent in injected drugs or intravenous drip solutions,
Adverse effects
Sesame oil is not known to be harmful when taken in recommended dosages, though the long-term effects of taking sesame-derived remedies (in any amount) have not been investigated.
Due to lack of sufficient medical study, sesame oil should be used with caution in children, women who are pregnant or breast-feeding, and people with liver or kidney disease.
Because of its laxative effects, sesame oil should not be used by people who have diarrhoea.
No more than 10% of a person's total caloric intake should be derived from polyunsaturated fats such as those found in sesame oil, according to the American Heart Association.
People who are allergic to Peanuts are likely to be more susceptible to Sesame allergy.
Allergy to Peanuts is one of the most common allergies, and can lead to anaphylactic shock which can be fatal.
Persons allergic to Sesame seeds should be cautious about using Sesame oil.
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