Groundnut Oil - Cold Pressed

Let’s go back to your childhood! Do you probably remember a time when the oil in the kitchen had a smell? A real, warm, nutty smell that hit you when the tawa heated up. The oil was golden. The murukku fried in it tasted right. The kootu made with it had something in it that the same kootu made with refined oil simply does not.

That oil was kadala ennai - groundnut oil - pressed the old way. Not refined, not deodorised, not bleached. Just groundnuts pressed slowly, the oil collected, and sent home.

Our Cold Pressed Groundnut Oil (கடலை எண்ணெய்) is made using the traditional mara chekku method; a wooden press that runs slowly, without heat, so the oil comes out the way it was meant to. The groundnuts are sourced from naturally grown farms; no chemical pesticides, no synthetic inputs. The oil is filtered and bottled without any chemical treatment.

The colour is a natural golden-yellow. It will have a real nutty aroma when you open the bottle. It will smell different when it heats on the tawa - not sharp or chemical, but warm and familiar. That is the difference between cold pressed and refined.

No chemicals used in extraction. No preservatives. No adulteration. No artificial colour or flavour. Available in 500ml and 1 litre.

We ship across India and packed carefully to prevent leaks in transit.

Our grandmothers cooked in kadala ennai. They were not nutritionists. They simply knew what tasted right, what the kitchen smelled like when food was being cooked properly, and what kept the family healthy. Cold pressed groundnut oil has been the cooking fat of choice in Tamil Nadu kitchens for generations and not without reason.

It handles Indian cooking heat well. Whether it is a fast tawa tadka or a slow simmering kulambu, cold pressed kadala ennai holds up. It does not break down or smoke at normal cooking temperatures the way some lighter refined oils do. This makes it genuinely suitable for the high-heat cooking that South Indian food requires.

The taste it brings to food is irreplaceable. Murukku fried in cold pressed groundnut oil tastes different from murukku fried in refined sunflower oil. Vadai fried in it has a different finish. Kootu cooked in it carries a warmth that the dish needs. This is not nostalgia; it is what the oil actually contributes to food.

No chemical solvents were used to extract it. Refined oils are extracted using chemical solvents (like hexane) that strip the oil fast and completely. Then the oil is deodorised, bleached, and refined to remove the colour and smell that those solvents leave behind. Cold pressed oil is simply pressed slowly, mechanically, without chemicals. What you get is the oil as it is, not what remains after industrial processing.

Good for cooking, good for the body. Groundnut oil has a good balance of fats for regular cooking use. The traditional Tamil diet included it daily and it formed a healthy part of how people ate for centuries. It is not a medicine, but it is real food which is more than can be said for many refined alternatives.

Good for the skin too. Cold pressed groundnut oil has been used topically in Tamil households for baby massage, for dry skin, for hair. The same qualities that make it good for cooking make it nourishing on the skin.

Best before: 12 months from packing date

Keep the bottle in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. A pantry shelf or kitchen cabinet that does not get afternoon sun is ideal. Once opened, keep the cap closed tightly after every use.

Cold pressed oil is not refined, so it can turn rancid faster than refined oil if stored poorly. Keep it away from heat. Do not store near the stovetop.

If you live somewhere that gets very hot (above 35°C regularly), storing in a cool, darker spot in your kitchen helps preserve the oil's freshness and aroma for longer.

A fresh bottle smells warm and nutty. If the oil ever smells sharp, sour, or off; do not use it.

After opening: Use within 6 months for best taste and quality.

1. The everyday tadka — sambar, rasam, kootu

Heat 1 tablespoon of cold pressed groundnut oil in a small pan until it shimmers gently. Add mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter. Add dried red chilli, curry leaves, and perungayam. Pour directly into your sambar, rasam, or kootu. The aroma that comes off a tadka in real kadala ennai is completely different from one made in refined oil. This is the most basic use and the most important one.

2. Murukku, vadai, and festival frying

Cold pressed groundnut oil has been the traditional frying oil for Tamil festival snacks for generations. It handles the heat needed for deep frying and imparts a taste to the final product that no refined oil can. For murukku, thattai, and susiyam, use this oil. The result will taste the way you remember it tasting.

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3. Kootu and poriyal base

Add a tablespoon of cold pressed groundnut oil to the pan before adding vegetables. The oil coats the vegetables as they cook and carries the flavour of the spices. Cabbage poriyal, raw banana kootu, mochai kulambu - all of them are noticeably better when the oil has real character.

4. Rice mixed with oil

A small spoon of cold pressed groundnut oil on hot rice before mixing your sambar or kulambu into it. It is a South Indian kitchen habit that many people have let go of in favour of refined oils. It should not have been let go. The taste it adds is warm and grounding.

Ingredient: 100% Naturally Grown Groundnuts

Extraction method: Traditional mara chekku (wooden cold press) - no heat, no chemical solvents, no industrial refining.

Groundnuts sourced from: Tamil Nadu farmers using natural farming methods; no synthetic pesticides, no chemical fertilisers.

Process:

1. Naturally grown groundnuts are cleaned and sorted
2. Pressed slowly using the wooden mara chekku method
3. Oil is filtered and settled naturally
4. Bottled without any chemical treatment, deodorisation, or bleaching

Contains: Groundnut (peanut). Not suitable for those with peanut allergy.

Free from: Chemical solvents, artificial additives, preservatives, artificial colour, deodorising agents, bleaching agents, adulteration.

Colour: Natural golden-yellow — varies slightly by batch depending on groundnut variety and season. Not a defect.

Aroma: Distinctly nutty. This is normal and expected in cold pressed oil. Refined oil has no aroma because it has been deodorised.

Suitable for: All cooking methods including high-heat frying, tadka, and sautéing. External use on skin and hair.

Available sizes: 500ml | 1 litre

Best before: 12 months from packing date

Packed by: myHarvest Farms, No-22A, First Floor, Subashree Nagar, Extension III, Mugalivakkam, Chennai – 600 116

Support: 7200606516 | community@myharvestfarms.com

What is cold pressed groundnut oil and how is it different from refined groundnut oil? Cold pressed oil is made by pressing the groundnuts slowly using a wooden or mechanical press, without heat. The oil that comes out retains its natural colour, aroma, and taste. Refined groundnut oil is extracted using chemical solvents, then deodorised and bleached to remove the colour and smell those chemicals leave behind. The result is a clear, odourless oil that has lost most of what made the original grain worth pressing. Cold pressed kadala ennai smells like groundnuts and tastes like groundnuts because it is groundnuts, nothing removed, nothing added.

What is the mara chekku method? Mara chekku is the traditional Tamil wooden press; a large wooden apparatus turned slowly by a bullock or a motor, that presses the grain or seed at low speed without generating heat. This slow pressing preserves the natural oil along with its flavour, colour, and the compounds that make it good for cooking and eating. It is the same method our grandmothers' kitchens relied on. We use this method because it produces the best oil, not because it is the cheapest or fastest way.

Is it safe for deep frying? Yes. Cold pressed groundnut oil handles high heat well and has been used for deep frying in Tamil kitchens for generations. It does not break down or smoke at normal frying temperatures. For murukku, vadai, bhajji, and festival frying, it is the correct oil.

Why does this oil smell so strong compared to the oil in the supermarket? Because supermarket refined oil has been deodorised — the smell has been chemically removed. Cold pressed oil smells like groundnuts because it is groundnuts. The aroma is a sign of quality, not a problem. You will notice it especially when the oil heats up; that warm, nutty smell is the reason food cooked in real kadala ennai tastes the way it does.

Can I use it for baby massage? Yes. Cold pressed groundnut oil has been used for infant massage in Tamil households for generations. It is gentle, nourishing, and absorbs well. Warm it slightly before use. If your baby has a known groundnut allergy, do not use it.

How do I know if the oil has gone bad? Smell it. Fresh cold pressed groundnut oil smells warm and nutty. If it smells sharp, sour, or rancid like something has gone wrong, do not use it. Store away from heat and sunlight to prevent this. Use within 6 months of opening.

Do you deliver across India? Yes - Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Madurai, and most pincodes across India. Packed carefully to prevent leaks in transit. Dispatched within 48 hours of order.