Coconut milk question

[Rumi in Hawaii]

Why is coconut milk available frozen? Seems it's more expensive than the canned stuff (but I was looking at a bag about 1 qt. size)... does it taste better, or work better for certain things?

Katie in Mountain View

Wherever you go, there you are.

[Carey]

Some of the Frozen Coconut milk is on the Islands (much of the canned product is imported).

Coconut milk made fresh is the best using equal parts flaked or shredded fresh coconut meat & water & simmering, then straining .... a good link with lots of Photos:
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/coconuts...t_milk.htm

This link gives some good comparisons on the canned & frozen products:
http://www.thaitable.com/Thai/Ingredient...t_milk.htm

You may also want to try using the liquid & spoon meat from younger coconuts.... I usually replace light coconut milk with equal amount of this.

[Rumi in Hawaii]

Wow Carey, thanks for that website! Found lots of info on Thai recipes and ingredients!! I think I'll try the frozen coconut milk. Don't have access to fresh chopped coconut meat..... can you use the dried coconut to make fresh coconut milk? I just got some at Abundant Life which probably isn't sweetened, so maybe that would work? Hate to waste it if you need to use the fresh coconut meat.

Again, thanks!!

Katie

Wherever you go, there you are.

[Carey]

Rumi. I just noticed your questions.
You can make coconut milk with dry meat... just follow the method in the chinesefood site.

Here are choke coconuts all about (one of our fav spots is after kayaking, at canoe beach. Lucky for me I have hubby who can & will scamper up trees for the nuts (you can borrow him ANYTIME!)

[Devany]

We have several coconut palms at our new house and the previous owners hired the "Coconut Boys" to come trim the trees and cut down the coconuts once every three months. There are five of them waiting for us when we take possesion of our new house. The sellers shared the rest of the "nuts" with our neighbors as they usually do.

Now we have to go buy a machete!

Aloha au i Hawai`i,
devany

Devany Vickery-Davidson
East Bay Potters
www.eastbaypotters.com

[Devany]

Oh... Carey, yes you can make it with dry meat, but believe me the fresh is sooooooo much better. I buy canned and frozen and both are OK in a pinch... but the canned is better if you are making curries because you use the thick part of the "cream" to cook the curry paste in and then add the "water" after. The frozen is more homogenized.

I made a great pumpkin curry (Thai) the other day using the canned milk. My favorite brand is Mae Ploy. Here is the recipe:

Pumpkin & Pork Curry (Fak Thong Muu Krung Kaeng Phed)

Ingredients :

!/4 pork belly chopped (no large pieces of fat)
2 small red shallots or one small red onion chopped finely
3 cloves garlic chopped finely
6 slices galangal
1 1/2-lb. kabocha squash
1# lean pork cut into cubes (or you can use boneless chicken)
2 19-oz cans of coconut milk (do not shake!) Or 4 cups of fresh coconut cream is even better!
6 Tbs. red or yellow curry paste (I like Mae Ploy brand)
2-4 Tbs. palm sugar
Fish Sauce to desired taste
3 lemongrass stalks, each cut in half lengthwise, bruised with the flat side of a knife
3 -5 Kaffir Lime leaves, stalked and cut into thin slivers
2-4 red hot chiles, cut into thin slivers with seeds (optional)
2 cups Thai basil leaves with flower buds
Thai Basil sprigs for garnish
Juice of 1/2 lime to taste

Method:
Cut kabocha in half, scoop out the seeds and pith. Cut into 1" chunks. You don’t need to peel the skin of the Kabocha, it cooks tenderly and adds color to the dish.

In a large wok or soup kettle, brown the pork belly and add shallot, garlic and galangal. Sautee till the shallot is translucent and the pork belly is well caramelized.

Spoon off the thick part of the coconut milk into the wok and add the curry paste heating over medium-high flame. Stir and mash the curry paste into the coconut cream and fry for a few minutes until it is very aromatic and darkened in color. Then pour in the remaining milk from both cans, stirring well to dissolve the paste to make a smooth rich sauce.

Add the pork cubes (or chicken), the date palm sugar, lemongrass, lime leaves stirring well to blend into the curry sauce. Gently cook until the meat is tender. Add the kabocha or pumpkin, tamp down with a wooden spoon and cook for perhaps 5-10 more minutes leaving the kabocha with a tiny bit of bite to it. Check it often as it can become mushy very quickly and you do not want that..

Remove the lemongrass for easier serving.

Stir in the basil just until it wilts.

Serve with steamed jasmine rice and garnish with fresh basil sprigs and additional birds eye chiles if desired. You can also top with a dollop of yogurt if you are serving people who do not like REALLY spicy curry.

This dish can easily be made vegetarian by omitting the pork and adding some baby bok choy or green beans.

** You can garnish with chile pepper flowers: slit chiles into four sections leaving them attached at the stem, place in ice water for 20 minutes and they will curl to form chile-flowers.


Aloha au i Hawai`i,
devany

Devany Vickery-Davidson
East Bay Potters
www.eastbaypotters.com