Ask anyone from Dharwad, Vijayapura or Kalaburagi what goes on jolada rotti, and many will name a chutney made with huchchellu, which is niger seed. Its oil is just as rooted in the region, and just as hard to find in its real form in a city supermarket.
What is niger seed?
Niger (Guizotia abyssinica) is a small black oilseed grown in parts of India, including Karnataka. In Kannada it's called huchchellu, and the oil pressed from it is huchchellu enne. Cold pressed, the oil is dark, often close to coffee brown, with a nutty, earthy smell you'll recognise if you grew up with it.
How it's used in North Karnataka kitchens
- With jolada rotti. A little drizzled over hot rotti, or mixed into chutney pudi.
- Ennegayi. The stuffed brinjal curry, where the oil's depth carries the masala.
- Tempering. For saaru, palya and chutneys.
- Chutney pudi. As the oil you mix in just before eating.
Its flavour is strong, so many homes use it alongside a milder everyday oil such as groundnut oil rather than for everything.
How to tell whether niger oil is real
- Colour. Real cold pressed niger oil is dark. Pale, golden "niger oil" has usually been refined or blended.
- Smell. It should smell clearly nutty the moment you open it. No smell means it was deodorised.
- Sediment. A little settling at the bottom is normal for unrefined oil.
For more tests that work on any oil, see how to check cooking oil purity at home.
Storing it
Unrefined oils are perishable because nothing was stripped out to extend shelf life. Keep niger oil in a cool, dark cupboard away from the stove, close the cap tightly, and use it within three to six months of opening.
Where to buy it
Chennamma Ajji cold pressed niger oil is pressed slowly in a wooden gaana from seed sourced in Karnataka. It comes in sizes from 500 ml to 15 L tins, and we deliver across Hubballi-Dharwad, the rest of Karnataka and India.