Healthy Oils to enrich your Cooking
Cooking oil is a vital and basic ingredient in any Indian dish. Whether it is a serving of mixed greens or main course, oil is used for cooking and to add flavors to any cuisine. However, picking the right cooking oil can spare you from heart infections, chlosterol blockages, stoutness and processing issues. Here is a combined pick of some health promoting cooking oils that can be used to prepare finger-licking dishes in the Indian cuisine:
Sunflower Oil
Sunflower oil is the oil extracted from the seeds of sunflowers is known as It has a high quantity of vitamin E, which makes it excellent for being used in and cosmetic products. Sunflower oil is a mixture of monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids. It has a high smoking point, which means that sunflower oil holds onto its nutritional content at higher temperatures, which is probably why this oil is widely used in deep frying chips, samosas and vegetables.
People with diabetes may need to be careful about sunflower oil as it may lead to the possibility of increasing sugar levels
Groundnut Oil
Groundnut oil or peanut oil is got a good combination of fats, and has the good monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and is low in bad saturated fats. It’s a good all-purpose oil for cooking and I think it works particularly well for Asian Foods that are prepared in the wok.
Mustard Oil
Has a near ideal fat composition but not very good as it contains high amounts of erucic acid ranging from 35 to 48%. It is recommended that you don’t use mustard oil as the sole cooking medium. It has a high smoking point so it’s very good for deep frying.
Canola Oil
A recent entrant into the Indian market, Canola is flying off the shelves. Canola oil, which is made from the crushed seeds of the canola plant, is said to be amongst the healthiest of cooking oils. It has the lowest saturated fat content of any oil. It’s seen as a healthy alternative as its rich in monounsaturated fats and is high in Omega 3. It has a medium smoking point and is an oil that works well for fries, baking, sautéing etc. I use it liberally in Indian food, which it seems to embrace quite well.
Olive Oil
If you use Olive Oil regularly, you are consuming monounsaturated fats that will help you lower your risk of heart disease and breast cancer, and that’s possibly because of its high monounsaturated fat content, which lowers cholesterol. I find olive oil brilliant for any Mediterranean dish, brilliant with pastas and risottos, and it’s my top pick for breakfasts, works like a dream with eggs, pancakes, you name it.
Sesame Oil
Sesame oil is a light yellowish oil derived from the raw and toasted sesame seeds. Sesame oil comes in two colors. The lighter one is used in India and the Middle East, and is pressed from untoasted seeds. It has a mild flavour and a high smoking point. The darker variety has a distinct nutty aroma and taste and works very well in Asian food as a marinade or in stir fries.
Both types of oils are high in polyunsaturated fat but they should never be heated for too long. Sesame oil also contains magnesium, copper, calcium, iron and vitamin B6.
Coconut Oil
This oil is full of saturated fat. Studies suggest that diets high in coconut oil do raise total blood cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Coconut oil also seems to raise HDL (good) cholesterol and it has the advantage that it behaves very well at high temperatures.
