Sarson ka tel in English is mustard oil. Sarson (सरसों) means mustard seed and tel (तेल) means oil, so the phrase translates literally as "oil of mustard seed". When people in North India say sarson ka tel, they usually mean the pungent, golden kachi ghani mustard oil used for tadka, pickles and saag, not a refined, odourless version.
From Rulife
Kachi Ghani Sarson Ka Tel
Cold pressed from black mustard seed in a kolhu, filtered through cloth, never refined. 1 L ₹319 · 2 L ₹638. Free shipping above ₹599.
Sarson ka tel: meaning and other names
| Language | Name for mustard oil |
|---|---|
| Hindi | Sarson ka tel (सरसों का तेल), also kadwa tel |
| English | Mustard oil |
| Bengali | Shorsher tel |
| Marathi | Mohariche tel |
| Tamil | Kadugu ennai |
| Kannada | Sasive enne |
You will also see it labelled kachi ghani mustard oil. That describes how it was pressed, not a different oil.
Kachi ghani, pakki ghani and refined: what the labels mean
- Kachi ghani (कच्ची घानी): literally "raw press". The seed is crushed slowly at low temperature in a kolhu or wooden ghani, then the oil is settled and filtered. It keeps its sharp smell, deep colour and natural compounds. This is what most people mean by sarson ka tel.
- Pakki ghani: the seed or press is heated to get more oil out. The result is milder in pungency and darker.
- Refined mustard oil: extracted at high heat, often with a solvent, then bleached and deodorised. It is neutral and pale, and has lost the character that makes mustard oil worth using.
Kachi ghani is also called cold pressed or wood pressed mustard oil. More in what is cold pressed oil.
Black sarson vs yellow sarson
Indian mustard oil is pressed from two main seed types. Black (or brown) mustard gives the sharp, nose-clearing oil associated with North Indian and Bengali cooking. Yellow mustard gives a milder oil. If you want the traditional taste of sarson ka tel, look for black mustard seed on the label.
How sarson ka tel is used in Indian kitchens
- Tadka and everyday sabzi: heat it until it just smokes, then lower the flame. This mellows the raw sharpness. A classic example is sarson wali aloo sabzi.
- Achar (pickles): the traditional pickling oil across North India, as in aam ka achar.
- Sarson ka saag, fish fry, Bengali jhol and Punjabi cooking: dishes built around its pungency.
- Traditional massage and hair oiling: warm mustard oil has long been used for body massage in winter and as a scalp oil. Patch test first, as the pungency can irritate sensitive skin. See mustard oil for hair.
For the nutrition side, including its fat profile, see is mustard oil good for health.
सरसों का तेल क्या है? (संक्षेप में)
सरसों का तेल अंग्रेज़ी में mustard oil कहलाता है। कच्ची घानी सरसों का तेल काली सरसों को धीमी गति से, कम तापमान पर कोल्हू में पेरकर बनाया जाता है, इसलिए इसकी तीखी खुशबू और सुनहरा रंग बना रहता है। इसका उपयोग तड़का, अचार, सरसों का साग और मछली बनाने में होता है। खरीदते समय लेबल पर "कच्ची घानी" और FSSAI लाइसेंस नंबर ज़रूर देखें।
Sarson ka tel price today
A litre of mustard oil costs roughly ₹150–₹230 for mass-market kachi ghani brands and ₹250–₹400 for wood pressed or small-batch cold pressed oil (October 2026). The full comparison, and why the gap exists, is in mustard oil price today.
How to choose good sarson ka tel
- Look for "kachi ghani" or "cold pressed" and black mustard seed on the label.
- Check it is not a blend. "Blended edible vegetable oil" must be labelled as such.
- Trust your nose. Real kachi ghani oil is sharply pungent. If it smells of nothing, it has been refined.
- Prefer glass or opaque bottles, kept away from light and the stove.
- Check the FSSAI licence number and the manufacturer's address.
From Rulife
Cold Pressed Mustard Oil, 1 L ₹319
Kachi ghani, black mustard seed, unrefined. Dispatched in 24 hours, COD and UPI.
FAQs
1. What is sarson ka tel called in English?
Mustard oil. Sarson means mustard seed and tel means oil.
2. Is sarson ka tel the same as kachi ghani oil?
Kachi ghani describes the pressing method. Kachi ghani sarson ka tel is mustard oil pressed slowly at low temperature, which is the traditional and most common kind in North India.
3. Is sarson ka tel used for cooking or for hair?
Both. It is mainly a cooking oil for tadka, pickles and curries, and is also traditionally used for massage and hair oiling.
4. Why is sarson ka tel heated before cooking?
Raw mustard oil is very sharp. Heating it until it just smokes mellows that raw edge while keeping the flavour, which is the traditional first step in North Indian and Bengali cooking.
5. What is the price of 1 litre of sarson ka tel?
Roughly ₹150–₹400 depending on the type, as of October 2026. Rulife kachi ghani mustard oil is ₹319 a litre.
About the author. The Rulife Team works directly with the ghani units behind our oils in Karwar, Karnataka. How our oils are made →
