Hi All!
Last few days have been chaotic and messy, too many things happening and loads to finish with deadlines, the biggest of all the deadlines was finishing revision for the Final exams. The kid appears for his grade 7 exam and had a humongous syllabi to finish and every now and then was seeking my help. I’m taken for granted to clear his doubts and be around when he is studying as he hates being alone.
Besides this I had a carpenter and a plumber along with a mason working fulltime in my house past 4 days. My ears were deafened with all the knock knock and I was tired cleaning the house every now and then. And since all this was not enough my laptop started troubling and I was some how managing with the internet on my cell phone. I’ve a tough time when I’ve to do elaborate things using the cell phone.. Amongst all this mess the good thing that happened was that I received a 2litre can of Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil from BlogAdda with a smiley card along with it, that made my day. I am reviewing healthy heart oil as a part of the BlogAdda's Product Review Program for Indian Bloggers.
We read so much about health food and how to change our eating habits and indulge into healthy eating and lifestyle. All nutritionists and doctors recommend these days to use an oil low in cholesterol and which can prevent heart disease. My doctor always recommends to change oil and not stick to one kind of oil, he also suggests to use a mix of oils in cooking. I use the peanut oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil and alternate them. Till now I had never used rice bran oil… Preferably, I use the low absorption oil to keep the consumption of oil low.
Rice bran oil (also known as rice bran extract) is the oil extracted from the germ and inner husk of rice. It is notable for its high smoke point of 213°C (415°F) and its mild flavor, making it suitable for high-temperature cooking methods like stir fry and frying. A medically significant component of rice bran oil is the antioxidant γ-oryzanol, at around 2% of crude oil content.
I’ve used other Fortune oils earlier, so when I received this pack of Fortune Rice bran health oil, I was elated. I had heard about the oil through advertisements and articles in paper but now was the time to taste and test the oil.
Before opening the oil I always read the can carefully. The can said 100% veg, free from Argemone oil. Argemone oil is obtained from Argemone seeds, is used as an adulterant in oil and is not good for heart, so the Adani Wilmar Limited, who are the manufacturers of the oil assures of no adulteration, which is done by all good oil manufacturing companies as a sign of quality assurance. I then read the nutritional information and was pleased to read that as 100mg of oil had 0mg cholesterol, 0g trans fatty acids, 0g proteins and 0g carbohydrates. It has 24g saturated fatty acids, 42g mono unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), 34g poly unsaturated fatty acids(PUFA), 50mg Vitamin E, 100g fat, 1000mg Oryzanol and gives 900KCal of energy. The 2litre can costs Rs.230/- which is a price any middle class man can afford easily towards health.
For people who are not aware of the importance of MUFA, PUFA, Oryzanol, I’m going to describe that in brief here, which will help you understand the benefits of using this oil. MUFAs are considered a healthy type of fat. If your diet includes unsaturated fats such as MUFAs & PUFAs instead of saturated fats and trans fats, you may gain certain health benefits. Consuming monounsaturated fatty acids may help lower your risk of heart disease by improving risk factors. For instance, MUFAs may lower your total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels but maintain or increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. MUFAs may also help normalize blood clotting. Also, some research shows that MUFAs may also benefit insulin levels and blood sugar control, which can be especially helpful if you have type 2 diabetes. (courtesy www.mayoclinic.com)
Oryzanol is an anti oxidant compound and is associated with reducing plasma cholesterol, lowering serum cholesterol, decreasing absorption of cholesterol and decreasing platelets aggregation. It has also been used to reduce hyperlipidimia, disorders of menopause and to increase the muscle mass. Another study has shown gamma-Oryzanol to reduce the risk of gastric ulcers caused by stress while at the same time maintaining gastrointestinal motility. Vitamin E present in oil is good for skin and prevents ageing. More on the 10/10 benefits of the oil one can read here
Since, I’ve already mentioned what is present in the oil and it’s advantages, I must also inform my readers what is absent in the oil and it’s consequences or advantages too.. Both Trans fatty acids and Cholesterol are absent in the oil.
Trans fatty acids, also known as trans fat, is an artery-clogging fat that is formed when vegetable oils are hardened into margarine or shortening.Trans fat is known to increase blood levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol, while lowering levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL), known as "good" cholesterol. It can also cause major clogging of arteries, type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems, and is found to increase the risk of heart disease.
Cholesterol is a type of fat (lipid) in your blood. Your cells need cholesterol, and your body makes all it needs. But you also get it from the food you eat. If you have too much cholesterol, it starts to build up in your arteries . This is called hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis . It is usually a slow process that gets worse as you get older. Absence of cholesterol in the oil adds to it’s health benefits
Coming back to the Fortune Rice Bran Oil after I have read the can , my first observation about any oil is the clarity and the smell and this oil passed in both the physical observations, there was no smell and the oil was clear with very light yellow color, soothing to eyes and light to touch. Any oil is best checked when you start using it for your day to day cooking and that’s what I did. I used the oil every possible way, for stir fry, tempering, shallow frying and deep frying too. What I realized was that it does not contribute to the flavor of a dish and stays neutral, which is what I prefer and so that was the first advantage I noticed in terms of cooking, secondly it gets absorbed less while deep frying and hence does not cling to the food item, so less oil goes into your body. The other big advantage which I would also get on a longer run is the advantage coming from the chemical ingredients present as well as absent in it which I have mentioned above!
I have passed this oil with flying colors for it’s physical qualities and health benefits and I would recommend it highly to my readers and friends. I cooked many dishes with this oil but I’m sharing two of the recipes here, both the recipes makes use of ingredients good for health and can be cooked for breakfast or as lunch box items.
Stuffed Paneer In Spinach Paratha
Preparation Time:15mins
Cooking Time:2-3mins per Paratha
Makes:9-10parathas
Serves:3
Ingredients
For Cover:
2cups whole wheat flour
1/2tsp salt
20-25 spinach leaves
1green chili
For stuffing
200gms paneer (cottage Cheese) grated
salt to taste
1inch ginger grated
2green chilies, finely chopped
1tbsp chopped coriander
1tbsp coriander pwd
1tsp cumin pwd
also
Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil for smearing
Method
For Cover
Using minimum water grind the spinach and green chili to a paste.
Add salt to the flour and mix the spinach paste and make a medium soft dough. If required use water else avoid it.
For stuffing
Mix all the ingredients under the heading stuffing. Avoid adding extra salt as the cover also has salt added to it.
Take dough to make a ball slightly larger than a lemon. Roll it to make a 2inch disc (or spread using fingers).
Fill about 2tbsp stuffing into the rolled disc and close all ends to make a ball and flatten it. Roll the disc gently using flour to make a 6-7inch broad paratha.
Heat a griddle and roast the paratha on either side. Smear some Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil on either side and roast again till golden in colour.
Serve hot with chutney/pickle, butter, curds or butter milk.
SOS Pancakes/ Savory Oats Semolina Pancakes
Preparation Time:10mins
Standing Time:15mins
Cooking Time:2mins per pancake
Makes:about 8
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
1cup rolled oats
4-5tbsp semolina
1cup warm milk/ soya milk ( I used plain soya milk)
1/2-1cup warm water
1-2 green chilies, finely chopped
6-7 curry leaves, finely chopped
10-12 spinach leaves finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
salt to taste
Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil for smearing
Method
Mix all ingredients and let it stand for 15mins. This allows the semolina and oats to soak the moisture and bloom.
Adjust the consistency of the batter by adding more water if required. This batter is thinner than the regular Dosa batter.
Smear oil on a non stick pan and heat on medium flame, spread a ladle full of batter on the pan of 3-4mm thickness.
Cover with a lid and cook. Flip to the other side and cook without the lid till golden. If required apply more oil.
The pancakes have crunchy crust and soft inside.
Serve with butter, sauce/chutney/pickle.
Sending it to my event ‘Only’ Vegan Cooking hosted by PJ.
Do give me a feedback whether you found the review informative and also whether you liked the recipes.
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