Healthy Bites from Canola Bloggers Meet

Delicacies Cooked in Canola Oil.

Yes! It was Canola Bloggers Meet!

Everything Cooked in Canola Oil

 

Back from an informative session, I reiterate again- Blogging to me is not just about glamor, fun, passion but learning too. I quite enjoy interactions and conversations around new things and of course blogging about it later as good things must be shared.

Yesterday again, I got an opportunity to attend a blogging event. This one was organized by Canola Council of Canada and I attended it through Blogadda.  The theme of the session was to find out what is Canola oil, is it a better alternative to traditional oils and what are its health benefits if its included in our cooking and eating habits.

 

L to R : Ritika Samaddar, Mr. Bruce Jowett, Chef Surjan Singh

 

The three guest talks were from Ritika Samaddar, Registered Dietician and Nutritionist, Mr. Bruce Jowett, Vice President of Market Development, Canola Council of Canada and Chef Surjan Singh (aka Chef Jolly) of Junior MasterChef fame. The Venue was a meeting room in Hotel Shangri La, New Delhi.

Mr. Bruce was the first one to start. He talked about its origination and how it comes from canola seeds, genetic variation of rapeseed.  Canola plant is one that comes from the family of  Cabbages, broccoli and cauliflower (Brassica). The canola and rape seeds are like two identical twins but having unique identity and different attributes. In the word, Can-ola, ‘can’ comes from Canada and ‘ola’ is oil in style. He also told where Canola is grown and the countries which are happily consuming it. At last he also said that canola was not here to replace other oils but make its own place. All oils could be used in the kitchen but obviously the healthy ones should be used much more regularly over the others.

Ritika Samaddar put forward the health benefits of it and how it was useful for diabetic and health patients. Not just for the ailing people, she advocated that it could be equally beneficial for everyone to keep healthy. Since India is house of chronic lifestyle diseases, this oil fits in our kitchen well. Also few changes in our eating habits could go a long way in keeping us fit.

When I asked her how it could be compared with Olive Oil, she pointed out that Canola Oil is much richer in omega-3 fatty acids and thats directly linked to our good heart.

Chef Jolly talked about food that he cooks in Canola, its taste, texture,  neutralness, color and a medium-high smoke point. There is no lingering smell when food is cooked in Canola. The chef said that Canola is a humble oil, its viscosity is low. Indians love food and this oil can definitely fit in our culinary.

After the Q n A round, followed the most interesting part of the event where Chef Jolly with the help of Chef Ravi made some baigan ka bharta and chick pea patties with canola oil. I was inspired to cook and it made me hungry too.

 

Information Nuggets that I picked from the day’s event

• Canola isn’t genetically modified. It simply comes from a plant that is modified. The oil goes through a similar processing like other edible oils.
• 90% of Canola produced in Canada is exported. Four major consumers of Canola oil are Japan, USA, Mexico and China.
• Japan is the number one user of Canola, China is the new market. In India the awareness about Canola is only 14%.
• Canola is primarily grown in the Western region of Canada.
• MUFA (Mono Saturated fatty Acids) and PUFA (Poly saturated fatty acids) is needed by our body in the ratio of 1:1
• Canola contains 61 % of MUFA which controls sugar very well and is advisable for diabetic people
• Omega 3 fatty acids in Canola lower LDL or bad cholesterol.

 

We all know that Indian kitchens adore mustard oil and its lingering aroma. For the good heart and healthy benefits, people have taken to new oils like refined oil, soyabean oil etc for everyday use. It shows we are learning to experiment.  Olive oil is the new crush and it has definitely found a place in our eating habits. 

Canola oil has a long way to go before it impresses our mums.

 

 

Clicks of the Day

Chef Surjan Singh

Well, everything was sorted about the event except that it started 45 minutes behind schedule. The high tea consisted of  yummy delicious food cooked in canola oil which helped us appreciate its taste a little better. And personally I felt the oil did not alter anything about the food or its looks rather it felt light on my taste buds over greasy, heavy feeling. The goody bag is really very useful and I am all pepped up to cook with Canola oil that came with it.

So readers, have you heard about Canola? Anyone in your family or a doctor or a relative living abroad has mentioned about it? Let me know if there is anything more you wanna know. To read more, this may be of help.

Happy Blogging!!!