Thinai Wood Pressed Gingelly / Sesame Oil (Nallennai)

About Thinai Wood Pressed Gingelly / Sesame Oil (Nallennai)

Nallennai used to be the oil every Tamil kitchen trusted: for idli podi, for kuzhambu tempering, for the Saturday ennai kuliyal. Today most bottles on the shelf are refined or blended, light in colour and with almost no sesame smell.

You notice it when your idli podi tastes flat, or when an oil bath leaves your hair feeling greasy instead of soft.

Our gingelly oil is marachekku (wood pressed) nallennai. Sesame seeds are crushed slowly in a wooden chekku with a little palm jaggery (karupatti), the traditional way, and the oil is bottled without refining or bleaching. So it keeps the deep colour and strong sesame aroma that Tamil cooking and oil baths depend on.

Why families pick this:

• Wood pressed (marachekku), not refined or bleached
• Pressed the traditional way with a little palm jaggery
• For tempering, idli podi, kuzhambu, pickles and ennai kuliyal
• Available in 500ml, 1L, 2L and 5L

Nallennai is the oil that carries the taste of a Tamil kitchen. A bland one quietly takes that taste away from every dish.

Pick your size and bring real marachekku nallennai back to your kitchen today.

Frequently asked questions

Is gingelly oil the same as sesame oil?

Yes. Gingelly oil, sesame oil and nallennai (நல்லெண்ணெய்) are the same oil, pressed from sesame seeds.

Why is palm jaggery used when pressing nallennai?

It is the traditional way of wood pressing sesame in Tamil Nadu. A small amount of karupatti is added in the chekku while the seeds are crushed.

Can I use it for ennai kuliyal (oil bath)?

Yes. Nallennai is the oil traditionally used for the Tamil oil bath, warmed slightly and washed off with shikakai.

Can I cook with it every day?

Yes. It is used for tempering, kuzhambu, idli podi and pickles. Many families keep nallennai and groundnut oil side by side.

Where is it made and do you deliver outside Chennai?

It is pressed in Chennai and we deliver across India.