Cooking with Less Cholesterol

Many people think it is impossible to cook our traditional delicacies especially the soups without palm oil. Palm oil has been reported to elevate cholesterol levels in the body. Can we do without palm oil in our soups and stews? Let us find out.




Palm oil is a common cooking ingredient in the tropical belt of Africa, Southeast Asia and parts of Brazil. Its use in the commercial food industry in other parts of the world is buoyed by its lower cos and by the high oxidative stability (saturation) of the refined product when used for frying. Palm oil has been found to be a reasonable replacement for trans fats, however a small study conducted in 2009 found that palm oil may not be a good substitute for trans fats for individuals with already elevated LDL level.



Recently, A governors' wife lost a good amount of weight. She announced that she had been able to eliminate palm oil from her recipes. I became curious and carried out experiments of my own. Enjoy the recipe below. I hope to bring you more recipes soon.


Food for the gods: Egusi Soup





Egusi without Palm oil!












Ingredients:


Grinded Egusi seeds (2 derica)


Dry pepper


Seasoning (Knorr)


Salt


Onions


Meat ( Chicken, Beef, Goat Meat)


Shaki, Kpomo(optional)


Dry fish


Stock Fish




Steps:


• Boil the meat


•To the meat stock add pepper, crayfish, seasoning, salt and onions


•allow to boil


•add very little water to the egusi powder to form a thick paste


•To the boiling stock add tea spoon sizes of the paste until all the egusi has been scooped


•cover pot and allow to boil


•eventually the balls turn white and form smaller balls


•add the meat, shaki, stockfish etc


•TASTE and adjust accordingly.


• Allow to simmer for a few minutes


VOILAA!

May be eaten with Amala, Akpu, Semo, Garri or Pounded yam.