Cooking Oils & Butters

Butter ghee is clarified butter: dairy, with the water and milk solids cooked off, which is why it keeps in the cupboard and fries at a high heat without burning. Khanum pure butter ghee is the 2kg tin and Plough pure butter ghee the 1kg. Khanum pure vegetable ghee is made from plant oils, dairy free, with a similar texture for frying parathas and everyday cooking. For halwa, biryani, dal tarka and anything where the ghee is tasted, use the butter ghee; a rack of lamb basted in it is worth the tin.

KTC sunflower oil or KTC rapeseed oil, both neutral, both happy at frying temperature, and both sold in 5L for a kitchen that fries pakora and samosas regularly. KTC groundnut oil is the choice for a wok, and Africa's palm oil for West African stews. For a whole chicken roast or a tray of chicken wings, any of them works; save the olive oil for dressing.

Dabur Indian mustard oil is the pungent, golden oil of Bengali and Punjabi cooking, sold in 250ml, 500ml and 1L. It goes into achar, where it preserves the pickle and gives the sharp edge, and into fish and mutton curries, where it is heated until it just smokes to soften the bite before the onions go in. A little goes a long way; it is not a frying oil for everyday use. The jars of Ahmed pickle on the pickles page are made with it.

Yes, three kinds. Filippo Berio extra virgin olive oil in 250ml and 500ml is the cold-pressed oil for salads, dips and finishing; Filippo Berio classico pure olive oil is the milder blend for cooking; and Natco pomace olive oil in 5L is the catering can for frying and marinades. Olive oil, lemon and Lebanese 7 spice make the classic marinade for boneless chicken thigh shawarma.

In the same Woolcool insulated box as the fresh halal meat, by DPD, Tuesday to Saturday: dispatched the next working day and delivered the day after. A 5L can or a 2kg tin of ghee packs beside the meat and the ice gel packs, and there is one delivery charge for the whole order, 6.99 under 60 pounds and free from 60 pounds, with a 15 pound minimum order. Oil and ghee need no cold chain; store them in a cool cupboard away from the light. The rest of the dry range is under groceries.