The Ultimate Guide to Cooking With Canola Oil

 From delicious jalebis to your favorite vegetable fried rice, canola oil is the perfect cooking oil for frying. Pure canola oil is an edible oil derived from the plants of the Brassicaceae family, the same family to which mustard and rapeseed belong.

Canola oil is deemed as one of the most versatile cooking oil due to its light flavor, high smoke point and smooth texture. Its light texture makes it suitable for sauteing and stir-frying purposes; it is perfect for deep-frying due to its high smoke point, and being neutral in taste, it is the right choice for traditional Indian dishes with their trademark spices and flavors. This oil can even be used as an oil for baking delightful cakes and muffins as it reduces the overall fat content of these tasty dishes while maintaining moisture at the same time.

According to the leading chefs at various hotels across India, the high smoke point of canola oil makes it an ideal choice for Indian kitchens as it only enhances the taste of the dishes and makes them healthier. In fact, the consumption of canola oil is continuously increasing in India due to its various health benefits and suitability for all cooking methods and cuisines.

An Indian consumer survey recently showed that more and more people are now preferring canola oil over other cooking oils. Being a vitamin enriched cooking oil, it provides the perfect cooking experience which essentially means less burning and more cooking. Apart from this, canola oil is termed as one of the "heart healthy oils" and "diabetes care oils" which make it easily fall into the category of "healthy oils."

Whatever you want to cook - parathas, sabzis or samosas, using this oil will fill your entire kitchen with a delicious smell and provide your taste buds a perfect experience. The best part is that you don't have to compromise on your health as it is an Omega-3 oil which is rich in antioxidants and "good fats" like monounsaturated fatty acids.

If you're in search for the best oil for frying, try using Hudson Canola Oil which is a light and non-greasy oil that will provide you with a smoke-free experience. It will fry your favorite foods without coating them with a heavy layer of grease and keep the overall fat content low. Even when deep frying dishes like jalebis, you'll enjoy less greasy food without compromising on taste.

Spanish Food Adventure

 A tapa is an appetizer or snack in Spanish cuisine and translates to a small portion of any kind of food, similar to Chinese dim sum. It may be cold or hot. In the early days of tapas, a slice of cheese or ham was served with your drink and placed over the mouth of the glass (saved on washing plates). They were basically designed to tide one over until the traditional way of eating dinner very late in the evening, when most Americans are already sleeping. It may be cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or hot (such as chopitos, which are fried baby squid). In select bars in Spain, tapas have evolved into an entire sophisticated cuisine.

Legend has it that Castilian King Alfonso the Tenth (circa late 13th century) had once been stricken with a serious illness which only allowed him to consume small portions of food with small amounts of wine. (Perhaps he just got too hungry between lunch and dinner.) The U.S. has adopted this cuisine through tapas restaurants, wine bars and some micro breweries, as opposed to Spain, where it's usually served up in simple tapas bars. Popular dishes include many traditional Spanish delicacies that are worth trying (be very brave, now):

Albóndigas - your basic meatballs

Aceitunas - assorted olives (no meal is complete without them)

Bacalao - salt cod, breaded and fried or stewed in tomato sauce

Boquerones - anchovies, marinated or deep fried

Berenjenas - eggplant/ (aubergine) can be raw or cooked

Cazón en Adobo - fried marinated dogfish (a type of fish, not dog)

Caracoles - snails,usually baked with spices (similar to French escargot)

Calamares - fried squid rings

Chipirones - a bit different, small squid cooked on a griddle

Chorizo - a popular spicy sausage

Gambas al Ajillo - fresh prawns in sizzling olive oil with garlic and peppers

Gazpacho - a cold tomato-based chopped vegetable soup

Jamón Serrano/Iberico - Spain's favorite ham (similar to Italian prosciutto)

Melón con jamon Serrano - melon and ham

Morcilla - black pudding (blood sausage)

Paella - a national dish

Pisto - stew of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and zucchini

Pulpo - your basic octopus

Queso con membrillo - cheese with a sweet quince sauce

Salchichón - any spicy sausage or salami

Tapa de sardinas en tomate - sardines with a tomato sauce

Tortilla - omelette with potato and onion (not like the Mexican tortilla)

Sorry, no mac and cheese

If you are confused or overwhelmed, ask the server for assistance. One of the great advantages is that someone at your table is likely to enjoy a dish that maybe no one else does, so it won't go to waste.

For many, tapas is an acquired taste. For others, simply not their cup of tea. But it's definitely worth a try with a few good friends (who are culinary "good sports"). It just might lead to a new cuisine for the adventurous diner, so check it out. You can do it.