BON APPETIT: Cooking with Canola Oil

Ooh how I love hosting friends and showing off my culinary skills (ahem) -- yes I do, I really really do :) all the dainty crockery clamoring for attention get their spot in the sun and the the hearth sees a buzz of activities . And then I cook some magic {if i say so myself} like these hot looking koftas

The koftas are paneer/cottage cheese balls ensconced in a potato shell and deep fried. To complement it, a red gravy spiced just right upped the ante. What made these koftas even more tastier was that they were deep fried in Canola Oil.

Sometime back I received a mail from a representative of Dalmia Continental, asking me if I would be interested in reviewing a sample of their latest offering – Hudson Canola Oil. I jumped at the offer despite a hectic schedule and the reason was Canola. Having heard a lot of good things about the oil I was looking forward to use the same in my kitchen. Canola Oil, made from rapeseed plant or field mustard is a vegetable oil and seems to be catching people’s fancy in India. Already popular in the US, Canada and Australia this oil is good for the heart as it is low in saturated fats and high in mono unsaturated fats and omega 3 fatty acids.

This oil is especially good for cooking.

Hudson Canola is brought to you by Dalmia Continental, owners of Leonardo Olive Oil. The best thing I loved about the oil is that there is no change in the original flavour of food. And as it has the highest smoking point compared to other oils it is relatively safer and healthier for deep frying. Indian food rocks with canola oil and fried stuff tastes delightful. Though while deep frying these beauties we were distinctly reminded of the smell of mustard oil, the final product was devoid of any smell and was very tasty.

What's in it :-

For the Kofta :- {makes about 15 koftas}

Outer Cover---

Potato - 3 (large) - boiled and peeled
All Purpose Flour - 3 to 4 tbsp
Corn Flour - 2 tbsp
Canola Oil - 2 tbsp (for blending)

For the Paneer (Cottage Cheese) stuffing:-

Paneer - 200 grams (grated)
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tbsp - to taste
Salt - to taste
Nigella Seeds - 1 tbsp
Carom Seeds/Ajwain - 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves - from a few sprigs - finely chopped
Mint Leaves - from 2 to 3 sprigs - finely chopped
Cashew nuts and Raisins - a fistful

For the red gravy :-

The paste----

Onion - 4 large
Tomato - 3 large
Coriander leaves - leaves from a few sprigs
Mint leaves - leaves from a few sprigs

The Gravy ----

Canola Oil - 1 tbsp
Butter - 1 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Saunf (Fennel Seeds) - 1 tsp
Jeera (Cumin Seeds) - 1 tsp
Kasoori Methi Leaves (Dried Fenugreek) - 1 tsp
Milk - 250 ml
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tbsp
Dried Mango(Aamchur) Powder - 1 tsp
Pav Baji Masala - 1 tsp
Chole Masala - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Paste from above

For Deep Frying

Canola Oil - as required

Here's How :-

For the Outer Cover & the Paneer balls ----

Mash the boiled potatoes well and tip in the all purpose flour and corn flour. Mix well and finally add the oil to blend it in to a fine dough for the outer cover/shell of the kofta.

The panner balls are a breezy preparation - just add all the ingredients mentioned in red in to a bowl and mix well. Take a small quantity of the mixture and shape it into a ball for the stuffing.

Take a small quantity of the potato dough and make a small depression in the middle. Place the paneer ball in it and shape it into a fine ball. Repeat till all the potato and paneer dough are finished. The koftas are ready to be dropped into a pan of simmering hot oil and fried till they are red hot and shiny crispy beauties.

For the gravy :-

Grind all the ingredients for the paste finely. In a pan add oil, butter and ghee. As it becomes warm, tip in fennel seeds, cumin seeds and the dried fenugreek leaves. Cook this for about 30 seconds and tip in 50% of the milk and allow it to boil. Tip in the ground paste and cook for a few minutes. Add the other spices and cook till the rawness evaporates. Finally add the remaining milk, let it cook and then season to taste.

Finally place the koftas in to a serving dish and liberally pour the gravy all over. Serve after a garnish of coriander leaves and/or cashew nuts. Needless to say the koftas with phulkas (or any other bread for that matter of fact) was a stunning hit of the day. Let me leave you with one more click---