Coconut Milk Recipes

Coconut milk is a main ingredient in many of the recipes of the countries such as Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka and West Indies. The coconut milk is known as "Santan" in Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia. "Gata" is the term used in Philippines, while in Thailand, it is called "Ga Ti".

Coconut milk is sweet and milky white in color. This should not be confused with coconut water (coconut juice). Coconut milk is sweet because of high-sugar content and milky white because of the high-oil content. There are namely two types of milk - thick milk and the thin milk. The thick milk is used to make delicious desserts and sauces, while the thin milk is used to make soups. Many of the Indian recipes use the thin milk to cook chicken and fish. Like the Indian recipes, most of the Thai recipes also use coconut milk.

Coconut milk contains an array of vitamins and minerals such as folate and potassium respectively. Raw coconut milk has 552 calories, canned coconut milk has 445 calories while frozen milk has 485 calories. Coconut milk can be made at home or bought in the market.

Tips to Make Coconut Milk

Ingredients
2 Cups grated coconut (fresh)
1 Cup lukewarm water

Preparation
In a blender, put the grated coconut and the lukewarm water. Blend well to make a paste. Sieve the blended coconut through a fine muslin cloth or a fine filter. The first milk you get is the thick milk. If you want the thin milk, you can either dilute the thick milk by adding some water to it or you can blend the residual coconut that is in the filter with a cup of lukewarm water in a blender. And filter the blended coconut. The milk can be refrigerated for a couple of days.

Sothi - Coconut Milk Soup

This soup is not served as the first course of your meal. It is served with plain or flavored rice.

Ingredients
2 Cups thin coconut milk
1.5 Cups thick coconut milk
5-6 Curry leaves
1 Tbsp ginger minced
2 Tbsp shrimp powder
½ Tsp turmeric powder
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Green chilies, slit and seeded
1 Tsp oil
2 Onions, sliced
Salt to taste

Preparation
In a thick-bottomed pan, heat oil and sauté onion, till it turns soft. Reduce the flame and add the curry leaves and ginger; sauté for a minute. Add the thin coconut milk and all the other ingredients other than thick coconut milk and lemon. Bring this mixture to boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Add thick milk and stir to prevent the soup from curdling. Remove it from the flame and add lemon juice; mix well. You can garnish it with coriander leaves and serve.

Red Curry Chicken

The red curry paste is prepared by blending red chilies, onions, garlic and spices such as cardamom, cloves, poppy seeds and fennel seeds in a blender. This curry goes well with plain rice or any flavored rice dish.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp red curry paste
2 Cups of coconut milk
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp lime juice
½ Cup basil leaves (chopped)
2 Tsp olive oil
1 Carrot and 1 zucchini, grated
1 Bell pepper, finely sliced
1 Pound chicken, marinated using lemon, salt and pepper
½ Cup water
Salt to taste

Preparation
First, you need to make a coconut sauce. In a thick-bottomed saucepan, mix coconut milk and red curry paste well. Bring the same to boil and simmer for couple of minutes. To this add soy sauce and lime juice. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the chopped basil leaves and remove from the flame. Keep it aside.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over a medium flame. Sauté the marinated chicken, till it becomes tender. You may add more pepper if required. Add the sliced bell pepper, carrot and zucchini. Sauté, till the vegetables become soft. Pour water, sprinkle salt and cook on low flame, till chicken is cooked. To this add the coconut curry sauce and mix well. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes over a low flame. Remove it from the flame and serve.

Coconut Ice Cream

Coconut ice cream is one of the recipes that can be made at home. This dish is made without an ice cream maker. It is a perfect summertime treat. In fact, coconut ice cream would make a delicious dessert, anytime of the year. Coconut ice cream is best served with fresh seasonal fruits. It is delicious with tropical fruits such as mango and papaya.

Ingredients
1 Cup sugar
2 Cups whipping cream
2 Cups fresh/canned coconut milk
1 Tsp vanilla essence
2 Tsp coconut essence
4 Eggs

Method
In a blender, blend the eggs and sugar for a couple of minutes or until the sugar dissolves in the egg. Double-boil this mixture in a medium flame. Stir continuously and the mixture should thicken. When it is thick it looks like custard. Remove it from the flame. When it is cooled, refrigerate it for sometime.

Whip the whipping cream in a blender, till it becomes stiff and thick. Pour this into a large mixing bowl. Slowly fold in the coconut milk and mix well. To this mixture add the cooked egg-sugar mixture. Mix well using a spoon. The entire mixture should have a thick milky-white appearance. In an ice cream tray, pour the mixture and freeze it for eight hours.

Note - Remember not to cover the mixture, while freezing. Once it is frozen, cover the ice cream tray.