Mangalore bajji and Product review of Fortune Rice Bran Health oil

With the increase in the number of lifestyle related diseases, it has become so important for us to review our food and lifestyle habits regularly and see what changes we can make, however small they may be, for us to have a better life.
We, as a family, love food and I make conscious changes wherever possible, to improve the quality of food we have.

I have been using different oils over the many years that I have been cooking. Doctors usually recommend using different oils, so that the body does not get used to any one type of oil. In my daily cooking, the usage of oil is really minimal and deep frying is at most a once-a-month event and usually for puris, which my son loves. I use sunflower oil and safflower oil for my everyday cooking, sesame oil for Chinese stir-frys and some Tamilian style dishes, mustard oil when I make Bengali / UP style food and olive oil when I make Italian and for baking breads. Rice bran oil was something new and something I had heard about and seen in advertisements, but I had never used it.



Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil

Rice bran oil is the oil extracted from the germ and inner husk of rice. It has a high smoke point of 213°C (415°F) and has a mild flavour, making it suitable for high-temperature cooking methods like stir frying and deep frying.
Thanks to Blogadda, I got a 2 litre pack of Fortune Rice Bran Health oil a couple of days back and started using it. I am reviewing healthy heart oil as a part of the BlogAdda's Product Review Program for Indian Bloggers.

Fortune Rice Bran Health oil is a 100% vegetarian oil and comes from the reputed Adani Wilmar group that has a number of brands.
It is an odourless oil and the colour and density is the same as the regular oils that I am used to, so it was easy to switch over. To put this oil to test, I used it in my daily cooking, in baking and in deep frying. Here's how it went...

I used this oil for the last few days in my everyday sabjis, stir frys and for tempering. Here is a matar paneer that I made using rice bran oil. The recipe will follow in the next post.



Matar Paneer

I also decided to use the oil to bake a cake. I adapted this recipe to bake a date cake, substituting the butter with oil, and making a few more changes. I baked it in a loaf pan and it turned out moist and delicious and we didn't miss the butter in it at all. The oil has a mild flavour which only enhanced the taste, so it scores well on the baking front too.



Date Loaf

This rice bran oil contains an antioxidant γ-oryzanol, which has been proven to decrease cholesterol. Research shows that rice bran oil and its active constituents improve blood cholesterol by reducing total plasma cholesterol and triglycerides, and increasing the proportion of HDL cholesterol (Good cholesterol), which helps in reducing heart related diseases. Studies have shown the antioxidant stability in rice bran oil remains almost constant even when heated at frying temperatures. The density of rice bran oil is found to be constant throughout the time of heating. The oxidative stability of rice bran oil was equivalent to or better than soybean, corn, canola, cottonseed, and safflower oil in deep frying conditions.

I decided to test this oil by doing some deep frying, since it is a low-absorption oil. I made these Mangalore bajjis / Goli bajji which is a very popular snack from Karnataka.The oil did not cling on to the fried food and we had no oily fingers when we picked up these bajjis. Lower oil consumption even in deep fried foods is a real big plus.



Deep fried Mangalore bajji

Rice bran oil reduces blood triglycerides (fat molecules in the blood). It is good for the skin and has squalene which acts as a natural moisturiser. This oil has a balanced ratio of PUFA (Poly unsaturated fatty acids) and MUFA (Mono-unsaturated Fatty Acid) which keeps our blood vessels clean.
The price for a litre of Fortune Rice bran Health oil is Rs 115/-, which is comparable to any standard cooking oil in the market. At this price, it is definitely worth switching over, given all the benefits this oil has.
For a complete list of benefits, check this link



Goli bajji

These Mangalore bajjis or Golibajis are a favourite of mine. I have always enjoyed these at a this little restaurant in the Malleswaram area of Bangalore called Shree Sagar (CTR). The masala dosas and the goli bajjis here are simply awesome.

These are spongy little bajjis / fried dumplings made with flour and buttermilk. This was my first try making it at home and it turned out really delicious. Crisp from outside, melt-in-the-mouth soft from inside. Gets done in less than 10 mins. Great idea to serve when unexpected guests arrive.

Goli bajji / Mangalore Bajji
(Recipe source - Mane Adige)

What you need -

1 cup maida
1/2 cup buttermilk or curds (preferably sour)
2 green chillies finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsps chopped coriander leaves
1 small piece of ginger chopped fine or grated (I prefer grating it)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Salt as per taste
Oil for deep frying

What you do with it -

If you are using curds, and its very thick, add 2 tbsp of water to it
Add the salt to the curds / buttermilk and beat it well
Mix the maida, cumin seeds, chillies, coriander and baking soda in a bowl.
Pour the curds / buttermilk into the maida and mix well
There should be no lumps
The consistency of the batter should be like dosa batter
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan.
Using your fingers, take a small amount of batter and gently drop it into the hot oil
Cook on medium heat till they turn golden brown in colour
Remove and drain any excess oil on paper towels
Serve with coconut chutney