Cooking Pakistani Food with Olive Oil: What Works
Yes, you can cook daal, karahi and paratha with extra virgin olive oil. What to cook with it, what not to, and which oil to use for each job.
Short answer: yes, you can cook everyday Pakistani food with extra virgin olive oil. It handles tarka, bhunai and shallow frying at medium heat well. Keep it away from long, smoking-hot deep frying, and use it raw wherever you want its flavour to show.
Many families in Pakistan keep olive oil only for massage or hair, because they think it burns in cooking. That idea comes from cheap pomace oil and from cooking on full flame. Here is what actually works in a Pakistani kitchen.
Does olive oil burn too easily for desi cooking?
Extra virgin olive oil usually starts to smoke at around 190–210 °C, depending on the oil. Most home cooking, including frying onions for a salan, sits below that. Fresh extra virgin olive oil also contains natural antioxidants that help it stay stable while it heats. The rule is simple: medium heat, and never let any oil smoke.
What to cook with olive oil (and what not to)
| Dish | Olive oil? | How |
|---|---|---|
| Salads, kachumber, raita | Yes, the best use | Raw, a spoon at the end with lemon and salt |
| Paratha and roti | Yes | Cook on the tawa as usual, brush a little oil on top while hot |
| Daal tarka | Yes | Make the tarka on medium heat; finish with a drizzle before serving |
| Bhuna salan, karahi | Yes | Bhunai on medium flame; do not let the pan smoke |
| Eggs, omelette, sabzi | Yes | Medium heat, as with any oil |
| Pakoras, samosas (deep frying) | Better not | Long, very hot frying wastes an expensive oil and its flavour; use a neutral frying oil |
Which of our oils for which job
Golden Legacy, from cultivated olives in Loralai, is light and smooth. It is the everyday oil: tarka, bhunai, eggs, paratha and salads.
Green Diamond, pressed from wild olives (jangli zaitoon) in Zhob, is deeper and stronger. Use it raw so its flavour shows: over daal, chana chaat, salads and bread, just before serving.
Five habits that make olive oil last
- Heat the pan first, then add the oil, and keep the flame at medium.
- Use less than you think: one or two tablespoons is enough for a family pot.
- Keep the bottle away from the stove; heat and light make oil go stale.
- Close the cap after every use.
- Finish dishes with a raw drizzle: you taste the oil far more than when it is cooked.
New to olive oil? Start with a 500 ml bottle of Golden Legacy and use it for a week of everyday cooking. See sizes and prices; we deliver across Pakistan with cash on delivery.
Questions people ask
Can we cook Pakistani food in olive oil?
Yes. Extra virgin olive oil works for tarka, bhunai, sabzi, eggs and shallow frying at medium heat. Avoid long deep frying at very high heat.
Is olive oil good for frying?
For shallow frying at medium heat, yes. For deep frying pakoras or samosas, a neutral frying oil is more practical and cheaper.
Which olive oil is best for cooking in Pakistan?
A fresh extra virgin olive oil with a named origin and date. Pomace oil is cheaper but refined, with little flavour.
