In collaboration with Neito.
Hi friends! This post will be controversial especially in Italy I guess. Why? Because I’m going to talk about oil, and this time not olive oil, as I am so used to using in my everyday meals. This time I’ll talk about an oil common in Nordic countries, that is the rapeseed oil from the field mustard plant, and tell you why this is the oil that you absolutely should have in your kitchens.
If you are from the States, you probably already know the differences between rapeseed or colza oil and canola oil, but let me assure you how in the rest of the world the confusion is of massive proportions. These oils have different names in different languages. In some languages only one name is used for the whole category, and that didn’t help to clear out my doubts. To understand this oil issue I had to go back to the roots: the latin names. That’s when I found out that the most common rapeseed oil it is made of Brassica napus, whereas the oil I want to talk about today comes from Brassica rapa, that is rape mustard or field mustard. This plant it’s not so common I guess, since I haven’t found online so much material about, but in Nordic countries is often used as it grows better than the normal rapeseed. Even though in Finnish the oils from these two plants have different names, in English they are both called “rapeseed oil”.
Here comes another clarification. Canola oil is still a different thing, because it s an oil developed through plant breeding from rapeseed and it’s almost completely GMO. This oil is really controversial. Many think it’s a safer choice compared to rapeseed oil as it contain less erucic acid, which can be toxic for humans, whereas many see dangers in it because of being genetically modified. I am not an expert in this regard, so I’ll let you choose what’s best.
The Telegraph mentions one thing that makes these oils better than olive oil for one thing: they have a higher smoke point than olive oil, which can be toxic at very high temperatures, and are therefore a better option for frying and roasting.
I partnered with the Finnish brand Neito and tested out their rapeseed oils. Rapeseed oil is rich in mono- and polyunsaturated fats but low in saturated fat. It has a nutritionally optimal ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. In addition, rapeseed oil contains vitamin E, vitamin K and plant sterols.
In this Thai chicken soup I used two Neito oils, the basic one and the chili one. This soup is perfect especially in wintertime. It has so many spices such as fresh ginger and curry, that makes it ideal if you’re developing a cold or just need to warm up after being outside!
- 3 garlic cloves
- 10 g of fresh ginger
- 1 medium onion
- 30 g of rapeseed oil
- 400 g of carrots
- 400 g of sweet potato
- 450 g of bell peppers
- 1 liter of water
- 1 vegetable or chicken stock
- 500 g of chicken breast
- 400 g (1 can) of coconut milk
- 10 g of salt
- 300 g of cabbage
- 100 g of peas (frozen or canned)
- 4 g of turmeric
- 2 g of curry
- 1 g of powdered lemongrass
- Chili oil
- Fresh coriander
- Lemon juice
- Crush the garlic cloves with a garlic press, chop finely the ginger and grossly the onion. Place the ingredients in a 5 liter pan with the oil and let simmer until the onions will have become soft and golden.
- Clean, peel and chop the carrots and the sweet potato. Add them to the pan, mix well and let it cook for few minutes still.
- Add the water and the stock.
- In the meantime, clean and chop the bell peppers and add them to the pan.
- Chop the chicken, add it to the soup with the coconut milk (use both the solid part and the water).
- Wash the cabbage and chop it grossly.
- When the vegetables and the chicken in the pan will be cooked, add the cabbage, the peas and the spices. Let the soup cook for few minutes.
- Serve hot. Add fresh coriander, chili oil and lemon juice to the portions to taste.
P.S. Stay tuned as I’ll soon publish another recipe (a healthy dessert, gluten and dairy free!) in which I use Neito’s oil! If you’d like to receive an email notification when the post will be published, do not forget to subscribe to our newsletter and select your preferred language!
