>sesame oil vs. gingelly oil

Mystery of the golden oil - solved.

This is another story from Singapore. I would play badminton and swim with friends at a private club near Yaohan.

There was a food stall where a Tamil man would pour his oil ceremoniously onto his mutton pan, the thin stream of honey-colored oil looking momentarily, mesmerisingly, solid. On the bottle was written "sesame oil" and I thought it didn't look anything like the sesame oil we had at home.

It is the fragrant gingelly oil, made from unroasted sesame seeds. It's used for making fruit pickles, murukku cookies, and in religious ritualistic oil baths - just a few drops.