IN recent years, we have seen the trend of cooking oils such as coconut and olive grabbing the attention of health enthusiasts.
The humble palm oil, something most Malaysians are familiar with, is often overlooked. It is often misunderstood for its reputation as a non-healthy oil but chefs and cooks around the world are now infusing palm oil into their dishes.
Whether we realise it or not, many of the food products we buy contain palm oil.
According to the Malaysian Palm Oil Council website, palm oil is found in, among others, chocolate, biscuits and peanut butter.
This oil is nature’s source of vitamin E component, tocotrienols, an important nutrient for the body.
Chef Domenico Piras, the Italian chef at Favola restaurant in Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur loves incorporating palm oil in his cooking.
He has spent his time working as a chef in Asia since 2004. “In Europe palm oil is not very popular, but in the last few years, people are slowly starting to use it.”
Palm oil, known to be a healthy tropical oil derived from the fruit of the palm tree, is good for raw dishes, according to Piras.
“It’s good for salad and I love to use it for my fish tartare as it gives a smooth finish,”
“It doesn’t change the taste of the ingredients, which is good for the dish.”
Stable when hot
With its ability to be stable at high temperatures, the oil is less likely to be absorbed in food when used for frying.
When deep frying, Piras says palm oil helps to deliver crispness on the outside while leaving the food soft on the inside.
Just remember to handle palm oil properly, he says.
“If you want to deep fry food and the oil has reached 300 degrees, it’s best not to use it anymore. Throw it out and pour in a new batch as overheated oil shouldn’t be mixed with fresh palm oil,” he says.
Piras says people now are more concerned about health and palm oil should be an alternative for them.
“How we cook now is different from the cooking styles of past generations. The younger chefs now are different, the cooking style has been revolutionised and they constantly try new things,
“In the kitchen, we break it down to four different elements in taste - sweet, salty, sour and bitter. For my dishes, I get that sweetness from the palm oil. It’s not an obvious sweet taste, but it has its own sweetness.”
His current favourite dish that he created using palm oil is Salmon and Seabass Carpaccio.
“The salmon is sweet on its own, then I add Hawaiian salt and drizzle on the palm oil to finish.”
TUNA FISH TARTARE WITH RED PALM OIL
Serves 2
Ingredients
250g fresh tuna loin
50g cantaloupe melon, diced
50g rock melon, diced
30g black olives, chopped
5g mint leaves, chopped
50ml Malaysian red palm oil
Toasted white and black sesame
Micro herbs salad
Salt
Black pepper
Method
1. Cut the tuna loin into small cubes.
2. Cut the cantaloupe melon and rock melon into dices and place in a bowl. Add black olives and mint leaves. Do not add salt.
3. Season the tuna with salt, pepper and Malaysian red palm oil.
4. Using a round pastry ring, make a layer of fruit and then add a layer of tuna tartare.
5. Press gently and remove the ring.
6. Garnish with micro salad.
7. All around the tartare, drizzle a bit of Malaysian red palm oil.
8. Garnish with toasted white and black sesame seeds.
SAFFRON ARANCINI WITH ARABBIATA SAUCE
Serves 2
Ingredients
250g Arborio rice/ Italian rice
60g onion, chopped
500ml hot chicken stock
100g butter
80g parmesan cheese, grated
2 litres Malaysian palm oil for deep frying and sauteing
300ml arabbiata sauce
3g saffron
Salt
Black pepper
Arabbiata sauce
Ingredients
3 tbsp Malaysian red palm oil
2 cloves garlic
½ tsp chilli powder/ dried chilli flakes
250g canned Italian tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
10 pcs fresh basil leaves
Salt
Black pepper
Method
For arabbiata sauce
1. Warm the Malaysian red palm oil in a pan on medium heat and then add crushed garlic and cook, stirring for about a minute until it is softened but not burnt.
2. Add the chilli and cook for a further minute, stirring occasionally.
3. Add chopped tomatoes and tomato puree, and if you are using dried basil, add that now too. When it’s bubbling gently, cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Method
For saffron arancini
1. Saute onion in Malaysian palm oil until translucent, not burnt. Add the rice, saffron and continue stirring.
2. Pour hot chicken stock little by little and stir until rice is cooked, for about 18 minutes.
3. Remove pot from the fire and add parmesan cheese and butter.
4. Mix well and transfer the rice to a flat insert. Wait until cool.
5. Once cool, make same rice balls and coat them with flour, eggs and breadcrumbs.
6. Fry in Malaysian palm oil and serve with spicy arabbiata sauce.
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