Search
Login
Foodies Only in your inbox
By clicking "Subscribe", you agree to ourPrivacy Policy and to receive marketing emails from Foodies Only
SearchLoginSearchLoginCopyright © 2025 Foodies Only
5 min
17/12/2025
This article on tadka explains how tempering adds flavour to your dish, and the many personality types of oils. Some oils will deepen and sharpen a curry; others will brighten the flavour. It is all about building layers on top of the recipe, while not actually changing the original recipe.
Rather than being just a "little" step to make a curry, tempering the oil is actually the point at which your curry gets its backbone (the aroma, vibe, and character). In this article, you will learn how each of the five oils will react differently to heat, which spices to pair with them, and how to avoid burning or mellowing the spices during your tadka.
Mustard oil delivers a punch of flavour that can instantly transport you to a Kashmiri, Punjabi, Bihari, or Bengali kitchen any day! Once mustard oil heats up to the smoke point (hot temperatures), the pungent flavours will subside, resulting in a hearty, robust, earthy taste that works best in foods like dals, chhole, kadhi, and curry-based fish dishes. As mustard oil cooks, spices such as jeera (cumin), kalonji (nigella), hing (asafoetida), and dried red chillies become tender and full-flavoured when used as the cooking medium.
Coconut oil has a sweeter, milder aroma, and adds an extra layer of richness when paired with curry leaves, mustard seeds, and whole chillies! Most importantly, coconut oil delivers the traditional taste of Kerala, Karnataka's coastal region, and parts of Tamil Nadu. When coconut oil is added to a cooking process (i.e., rinsing & cleaning), it does not "wake up" the rustic flavour of spiced oil. Rather, it supports the subtler flavours of spices and brings out the delicate flavour of vegetables such as pumpkin, ash gourd, and okra, resulting in a warm, tropical feel.
The food receiving a ghee tadka is like a warm embrace. The high smoke point of ghee allows it to easily carry spices while providing a rich buttery profile. Ghee will complement all types of dishes, from Dal Tadka using jeera to Khichdi using green chillies, Rasam using black pepper, or North Indian gravies using garlic. Pouring a tablespoon of hot ghee with sizzling spices onto a dish of dal enhances the flavour throughout the entire dish. When you want to enjoy a dish of curry with the feeling of richness without adding cream, ghee makes an ideal alternative.
Sesame oil's deeper and somewhat smoky flavour provides an excellent backdrop for use in Tamil/Andhra-style curry cooking. It pairs best with mustard seed, urad dal, fenugreek, and curry leaves, which add a richer, fuller, warmer quality to those dishes; and the oil is an excellent stabiliser for acidity and heat in recipes like Puli Kulambu (Tamarind Rice) or any other spicy veg curries. When you desire depth without adding a weighty flavour to your food, sesame oil is the ticket.
In addition to the slight nut aroma, peanut oil has a subtle flavour that will not distract from the spice blend of your dish. Peanut oil is found in many of the curries and sabzis found throughout Maharashtra and Gujarat. Since peanut oil has a stable flavour, spices that enhance curry's flavour, such as ajwain, mustard seeds, garlic and methi, fry nicely in peanut oil because of their ability to retain their flavour upon frying. Peanut oil is the oil of choice when you want to create clean heat in your cooking, have distinct spice flavours in your finished dish, and achieve a beautiful, non-greasy presentation of your food.
When done properly, tempering is much more than just following a recipe; it is about how you want your curry to be. Are you looking for it to taste sharp, smoky, buttery or warm? Each type of cooking oil has its own personality, and once you identify that personality and match it with the correct spice, even a simple curry will take on a wonderful amount of flavour, depth and interest.
