The Secret to Perfect Asian Cuisine is in Using the Right Cooking Oils

While many people who are into cookery opt for extra virgin olive oils for their salads and roasts, or choose the trendy coconut oil for its supposed health benefits, it seems as though the same care isn’t always taken when it comes to Asian cuisine.

While often this effect can be to do with recipes simply calling for ‘vegetable oil’, the oils used in Asian cookery are incredibly important and can have an immense impact on flavours.

Olive oil, while popular in the West, is actually not suitable for Asian cooking, as it has too low a burning point for the high-heat cooking used in Asia, and the olive flavour does not match well with the traditional ingredients used.

Here are the various oils and their uses in Asian cookery:

Peanut Oil

Peanut oil is one of the major players in Eastern Asia, especially China. It is predominantly used for frying. Peanut oil can only burn at very high temperatures, around 260C, making it the perfect choice for recipes that require hotter temperatures, such as stir-frying.

Unlike many other oils, peanut oil does not tend to pick up the smells or tastes of the items it has fried, meaning that it can be strained and reused.

Of course, peanut has a fairly strong taste, so it’s not the best for cooking food with milder flavours, or things you wouldn’t want to overpower, like a steak, but it is great if you want to stir-fry a noodle dish, for example. Nut allergies are also something to be mindful of if you are cooking for guests.

While gallon-sized bottles of peanut oil can be found in oriental markets, it is best to buy peanut oil in smaller bottles as it can go off a little quicker than other oil types.

Sesame Oil

Sesame seeds are roasted and then crushed to press out the oil.

When it is heated up, sesame oil often loses a lot of its delicious flavour, so this oil is usually used as a flavouring added at the end of cooking, or as a dip. However, this can also be a benefit for dishes that require sauteeing or frying without adding any more flavours.

Sesame oil is often used, blended with other oil types, to fry tempura.

Corn Oil

Corn oil is used mostly for deep-frying as it is fairly cheap. With a particularly strong and distinctive taste, this shouldn’t be your first choice for general stir-frying.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has been in the spotlight in recent years, with claims that it is a healthy oil that can not only be used in cooking but for skin and hair care too!

While solid at room temperature, coconut oil melts quickly and can be used in baking, sauteeing and frying.

Soybean Oil

Soybean products are culinary staples in Asia, and soybean oil is cheap, with a neutral flavour, so it is often used by Chinese restaurants. Like sesame oil, soybean oil is also mixed with other oil types for more complex flavours.

Safflower Oil

As one of the healthier oil options, safflower oil has fewer bad fats than cheaper vegetable-based oils. However, any health benefits tend to be forgotten as this oil is most commonly used to deep fry food! As it is so unsaturated, it can deteriorate quickly, so only buy it in smaller bottles.

If you want to increase your collection of oriental cooking oils, then check out the range we have available here at Oriental Mart!