Okay, so you used olive oil in one of your best Indian recipes, and to your shock, the taste itself changed. And to think that olive oil is said a good cooking medium! For some reason, when the whole world turned to olive oil, no one told us Indians which variety to use for our kind of cooking. Everyone thought we should use Extra Virgin olive oil because it was supposed to be the best. Best flavour, sure, but not the best for Indian cuisine.

Olive Oil And Indian Cooking

Olive pomace oil is the cooking grade oil used all over the Mediterranean for every type of cooking. This oil can be used for all methods, types and varieties of Indian cooking; it neither changes in taste nor presents any difficulties while cooking. Indian cuisine, whether fried, roasted or cooked by any other method, tastes as good with olive pomace oil as with sunflower, safflower, corn or any other oil. Being low priced, it provides optimum value for money as the best cooking grade oil for Indian cuisine.

Cooking With Olive Pomace Oil

• While frying foods between 130ºC and 190ºC, this oil forms a crisp, golden crust, making fried food much more appetising, without affecting its nutritional value.

• During the frying process, the oil hardly penetrates the food, leaving it light and digestible.

• This oil does not break down, provided the temperature does not exceed 190ºC.

• That it is expensive is a misconception. Though olive pomace oil costs more than other edible oils, it is economical to use since food can be cooked in 1/3rd the quantity of other edible oils. Since it has a high smoking point, it can also be reused three to four times as long as it is filtered carefully after each use through gauze, muslin or a suitable paper filter. Considering these two points, the effective cost of olive oil is 1/6th its actual price!

Tips For Users

• While dressing salads, pour the olive oil in first and then add salt and vinegar or lemon. Adding the oil first provides a protective layer, which helps the vegetables to stay fresh and crisp.

• Olive oil is excellent to spread on meat being barbecued, as it helps to preserve the natural juices.

• Any meat, fish, or vegetable fried in olive oil is tastier, as the oil prevents the food from sticking and becoming greasy.

• Meat marinated in olive oil before cooking will be much tastier. As olive oil is very delicate, it helps the aromatic herbs and spices to mix.

• To enjoy a delicious snack, spread a little garlic on toast and then add some olive oil.

• If you use a little olive oil in the water when cooking pasta, it will prevent it from sticking.

• Ingredients should be dried before deep-frying for best results. Make sure that the frying pan contains enough olive oil to cover the ingredients. If there is too little, food will be too soft or will burn.

• Olive oil in the pan should be hot but not smoking when the food is immersed for frying.

The Three Varieties

Extra Virgin (EV) Olive Oil

• The highest grade olive oil with perfect aroma and flavour.

• Results from the first cold pressing of the olive fruit within 24 hours of harvesting.

• Relatively heavy and viscous and suitable only for dressing, flavourings and condiments.

• Used to dress salads, pastas, rice, vegetables, meat and fish.

Pure Olive Oil

• A combination of refined olive oil and extra virgin olive oil. Refined olive oil is obtained by refining oil that does not possess optimum characteristics.

After refining, the oil is blended with EV olive oil.

• Intermediate grade oil with medium aroma and flavour and a paler colour.

• Suitable for pan and deep-frying, stir-fries, sautés and stews. In cakes and pastries, it is used both as ingredient in dough and also for frying but it is not suitable for cooking Indian cuisine.

Olive Pomace Oil

• The main cooking grade oil.

• Obtained by treating the olive residue paste (after the fruit has been pressed) with solvents to extract the oil and then blending this product with EV oil in order to enhance the product.

• Light oil with neutral taste and flavour.

• Suitable for Indian cuisine. The least expensive olive oil.

Chef Kaviraj Khialani throws light on why olive oil isn't popular with Indian kitchens

Cost: Olive oil proves expensive if incorporated into our daily diet. An average bottle of olive oil works out to not less than Rs 500 for a litre. Not everyone is really comfortable with investing so much money on olive oil when they can buy five litres of any other oil at about the same cost.

Typical Tastes: Gourmets suggest that the taste of certain typical Indian food solely depends on the oil. For eg, 'sarson ka saag' would lose its original taste, if not for the mustard oil. Similarly, 'makki ki roti' wouldn't be what it is, without the pure ghee or white butter. This is true with several typically Indian dishes! Most people do not like to substitute their regular oil with olive oil, despite the proven health benefits.

Matching Flavours And Palates: Chefs at restaurants find it tough to meet guests' expectations in experimenting with the oil, for fear of being rejected by the guests.

Awareness: Indians find it difficult to get accustomed to olive oil in their daily diets, mainly because olive oil does have a peculiar aroma, which overpowers certain dishes. But, of course, this viewpoint will soon change with the entry of certain varieties of extra light olive oils.

(Source: ASOLIVA)

V N Dalmia is the Chairman of Dalmia Continental Pvt Ltd and Dalmia Tourism Services Pvt Ltd. He has conducted a series of research studies in olive oil.