Cooking with extra virgin olive oil in Pakistani food

More Pakistani families are adding extra virgin olive oil to their kitchens. Here is how to get the most out of it.

What does extra virgin mean?

Extra virgin is the highest grade of olive oil. It is pressed from olives without heat or chemicals, which is why it is called cold-pressed. It keeps the natural taste and aroma of the olives.

Where it works best

• Salads and kachumber: a spoon of olive oil with lemon, salt and black pepper.
• Raita and dips: drizzle a little on top of raita or hummus.
• Finishing: pour a little over daal or grilled vegetables just before serving.
• Light cooking: use it for eggs, sauteed vegetables and shallow frying on medium heat.

For very hot deep frying, many cooks prefer other oils and keep extra virgin olive oil for dishes where you can taste it.

How to store olive oil

Keep the bottle tightly closed in a cool, dark place, away from the stove. Heat and light make olive oil lose its flavour faster.

Red Farms olive oil

Our extra virgin olive oil is cold-pressed and comes from a licensed olive facility in Kallar Kahar, Punjab. It comes in 250 ml, 500 ml and 1 litre bottles and is halal certified.

See our extra virgin olive oil. Delivered within about an hour in Islamabad and Rawalpindi and by courier across Pakistan.

Order from Red Farms: we deliver across Islamabad and Rawalpindi from 9 am to 9 pm, usually within an hour. Call or WhatsApp 0334-6691336, or shop online.