Short answer: wood-pressed coconut oil is pressed from dried coconut (copra) in a wooden chekku. It is clear when warm, turns white and solid when cool, and smells of fresh coconut. It is the everyday cooking oil of Kerala and the coast, and a traditional hair oil across India. Ours is pressed below 35°C, unfiltered and with no preservatives.
The oil of the coast
Along the Kerala, Karnataka and Konkan coasts, coconut oil is the cooking oil. Avial, thoran, fish curry, appam stew and banana chips all depend on it. It goes by velichenna in Malayalam, thengai ennai in Tamil and kobbari enne in Kannada.
How wood-pressed coconut oil is made
- Coconut kernels are dried into copra.
- The copra is crushed slowly in a wooden chekku.
- Oil separates from the coconut cake, staying below 35°C.
- The oil settles naturally and is bottled unfiltered.
Much of the coconut oil sold in shops is refined, bleached and deodorised (often labelled RBD), which removes the coconut aroma. Wood-pressed oil keeps it.
How to cook with coconut oil
- Finishing: drizzle raw coconut oil and curry leaves over avial or kootu just before serving.
- Tempering: mustard, red chilli and curry leaves in coconut oil for thoran and poriyal.
- Frying: Kerala banana chips are traditionally fried in coconut oil.
- Curries: fish curry, kadala curry and stew.
Coconut oil for hair
Generations of Indian grandmothers oiled their grandchildren's hair with coconut oil every week, usually before a bath. Many families still keep the custom. Warm a little oil, massage it into the scalp and hair, and wash after some time.
Why coconut oil turns solid
Pure coconut oil solidifies below about 24°C, so on a cool Bangalore morning your bottle may turn white and firm. That is normal. Stand the bottle in warm water for a few minutes and it becomes clear oil again.
How to store it
Keep it closed, away from sunlight and moisture, and use a dry spoon. A wide-mouthed jar makes solid oil easier to scoop in winter.
Frequently asked questions
Is wood-pressed coconut oil the same as virgin coconut oil?
Not exactly. Virgin coconut oil is usually made from fresh coconut milk. Wood-pressed coconut oil is pressed from dried copra in a chekku. Both are unrefined.
Can I use the same oil for cooking and hair?
Yes. Our coconut oil is pure and unrefined, so families use the same bottle for both.
Why does it smell so strongly of coconut?
Because it hasn't been deodorised. The aroma is the coconut itself.
Try our wood-pressed coconut oil, pressed in Chandapura, Bangalore. Free delivery in Bangalore on orders of 5 litres and above; other states free on ₹3,500 and above.