Dietician reveals 5 easy ways to add olive oil to Indian diet without compromising

For all the healthful mentions – the heart-friendly, antioxidant-rich, and anti-inflammatory plethora – here is the olive oil. According to Dr Pratayksha Bhardwaj, World Record-Holding Dietitian and Weight Management Expert, switching to olive oil can feel a bit awkward for most Indians, especially when it comes to cooking all those traditional meals with a hefty aroma of spices. But slowly, with a couple of adjustments here and there, you can add olive oil to your Indian cuisine, and you will fall in love with the taste.

Extra virgin olive oil acts as the dressing for salads, chaats, and even raitas. Just on a cucumber-onion salad or sprouted moong chaat, EVOO adds a faint, earthy note to its already rich nutritional profile.

2. Semi-Classic Tadka

Use light olive oil to prepare your tadka for dals and sabzis instead of ghee or mustard oil. It handles medium heat just fine and goes very well with cumin, garlic, and curry leaves – as a lighter treat for your favourite culinary preparations.

3. Olive Oil Parathas

Adding a spoonful of olive oil or applying olive oil while cooking your rotis and parathas. It may initially feel strange to miss that ghee aroma, but olive oil brings a soft richness that complements most Indian breads.

4. Stir-frying healthy way

Ellie oil is best for vegetable stir-fries or paneer bhurji. It just says to enhance the flavour without overtaking it with quick, nutrient-dense meals.

5. Dips and Chutneys

Olive oil can be blended into green chutney, hummus, or hung curd dips. This acts as a great ingredient, bringing that creamy touch and infinite freshness to whatever dip or chutney you prepare.

Things to consider

• Use extra virgin olive oil, raw or cooked on low heat.
• Light olive oil is better suited for sautéing and Indian tadka.
• Do not blend olive oil with oils that have extremely strong, distinctive tastes, such as mustard or sesame.

Adding olive oil to the Indian diet signifies upgrading the health meter. It adds a twist to the Indian traditional dishes and is not an outbreach of traditions. So start with salads, keep experimenting and playing with the taste, and with time, your family will find olive oil tastier.