#FrannyCooks with Grande Rice Bran Oil : Creamy Prawn Pesto with Organic Garlic Parsley Pasta

One thing that I miss the most about living in Singapore is the chance to cook on a regular basis. Somehow, I never considered cooking a chore as it's something that I look forward to doing most especially when I get to try a new recipe or experiment with whatever ingredients we have in the fridge.

With all my kitchen utensils, pots and ingredients finally back from Singapore, I took the opportunity to do some cooking for the family. Recently also, I was invited to check out Grande Rice Bran Oil which is new in the market. I still remembered the first time Paul and I had to shop for our cooking oil and we were totally overwhelmed by all the varieties available. From the more popular olive oil to the more mass produced vegetable oil, I seriously had to whipped out my phone right at the middle of the grocery aisle to check which one is the healthier variant before making our choice. After all, there's no early age to be health-conscious after all most especially when we see older relatives suffering from heart diseases, hypertension and the like. With our twins on the way, Paul and I promised to keep ourselves healthy for as long as we can. 

So, when I was introduced to Grande Rice Bran Oil, we were told that it has a high smoke point making it a good choice for heavy frying, it has a neutral taste, it has zero cholesterol and it's trans-fat free and it's rich in antioxidants. Sounds interesting! 

Chef Miko Aspiras was present during the event wherein he demonstrated 3 of his recipes using Grande Rice Bran Oil. He started with Sesame Tuna Aburi Tataki Salad where he made everything from scratch even the sesame and tataki dressings. This was followed by his rendition of "Pork and Beans" and lastly, everyone's favorite -- Pili Donuts and Cream. 

Meanwhile, here's what I've prepared using Grande Rice Bran Oil at home:

Creamy Prawn Pesto with Organic Garlic Parsley Pasta

What you'll need: 

- Grande Rice Bran Oil

- one box of organic garlic parsley pasta or any flat pasta will do (eg: fettuccine, etc) 

- half a kilo of shrimps, de-shelled leaving the tail intact, cleaned 

- one bottle red pesto sauce

- one pack of all-purpose cream 

- garlic, minced 

- herbs, salt, pepper for seasonings 

Here are the steps:

1) Cook your pasta noodles based on the instructions on the package

2) In a separate pan, add 1-2 tbsp of Grande Rice Bran Oil and heat it up

3) Saute the garlic and make sure it doesn't brown 

4) Add in the shrimps and saute till half cooked 

5) Season you shrimps mid-way. 

6) Add in the red pesto sauce (watch out for some splatter!)

7) Once shrimps have been well coated with the pesto sauce, add in the cream and let it simmer. Lower heat and continue to mix. 

8) Turn off heat and add in your pasta noodles. If the sauce seems to be too thick to your liking, feel free to add in some pasta sauce. 

9) Add more herbs, seasoning based on your preference. Turn on heat and let it bubble before turning off the fire. 

10) ENJOY! 

One thing that I noticed about using Grande Rice Bran Oil is that the garlic didn't burn as easily as it normally does when I use butter or any other cooking oil. This is something that I'm very happy about. Also there's indeed no unusual after taste or smell which then brings out the natural aroma of the pasta. Normally, I'm not a fan of deep-frying as you may have noticed that I haven't deep-fried anything so far as I really do not like smelling like my deep-fried dish after cooking and worst, filling up the entire house with the same oily smell. However, I am ready to take the challenge to see if Grande Rice Bran Oil will change my thoughts about deep-frying. Let's see about that. :)

Grande Rice Bran Oil is available in select outlets and supermarkets nationwide! So far I've spotted it in Little Store on the Hill and in Unimart here in San Juan. Check out this list to see where you can grab your bottle today.