Who among us doesn’t remember the advertisement for the Bounty bar? It was this bar that gave the idea that using coconut you can create any dish with coconut milk. And in some ways the creators of this video are right. Coconut milk is truly a gift from the exotic nature of the East. It contains the following vitamins we need:
- A (healthy skeleton, teeth, beauty);
- B (cellular metabolism);
- D (height);
- C (strengthening protective functions);
fiber, whole mineral complex, carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Very high in calories - 100 grams contain 232 kcal. So dishes with coconut milk will become a real decoration of your table. But, some people may have allergic reactions to coconut and fructose (like honey). What to do? Just something to consider.
How to use coconut milk? It is widely used in cosmetology and Food Industry, namely in:
- creams;
- lotions;
- leather cleaners;
- cooking;
- first and second courses;
- side dishes
Based on it they make vegetable oil. It is also a substitute for any other milk (goat, cow). What is it like? It is a whitish, sweetish milky liquid. Different from coconut juice (the liquid in the nut itself).
Cooking method
The finished product can be bought in the store. But, fresh is always better, so let’s talk about preparing it at home. Necessary:
- nut or shavings;
- half a faceted glass of water;
- blender (or grater);
- gauze.
Open the nut and peel it. Grind its pulp. Pour hot boiled water. Leave for about 40 minutes. Then squeeze out the juice through cheesecloth (you can use a press to squeeze out juices). Store for no more than 4-5 days, at a temperature of 5-8 degrees Celsius. All is ready. And we have prepared recipes for you that use such healthy and versatile coconut milk.
First
Soup - pork with coconut
This dish successfully combines Thai cuisine and our favorite pork.
Cut 200 g pork into small pieces. Add a little water, add salt and cook until tender. Then add olive oil (40 g) to the broth and simmer until the liquid evaporates. Grate 50 g of celery, chop 50 g of the white part of the leek. Boil in another saucepan. Mix the meat with herbs, add chopped nutmeg, and cook a little more. When ready, add 20 g of coconut milk, 10 g of vinegar. If desired, add salt and a little pepper. You can add black to taste ground pepper And nutmeg. Ready.
Lenten dishes with coconut milk
Puree soup for those who count calories, fast, or simply for lovers of low-fat food. Products:
- potato;
- carrot;
- water;
- garlic;
- coconut milk;
- salt;
- greenery;
- spices (preferences).
Cut 250 g of potatoes and carrots (finely) into the soup. Pour in 350 g of water, add salt, and cook until tender (about 15 minutes). Make puree. Place the finished mixture in a blender, add 1 clove of garlic, 100 g of milk, and beat. Ready soup decorate with greenery.
It turned out delicious. We enjoy eating first courses made from coconut milk.
Second
Fragrant chicken
Unusual and at the same time extraordinary delicious second, using chicken fillet that is familiar to all of us. You will need:
- a little water (as needed);
- 500 g chicken meat;
- 1 onion;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- ginger up to 2 cm thick;
- 1 chili;
- half a teaspoon of salt and turmeric;
- 1 cut glass of coconut milk;
- 2 bay leaves;
- vegetable oil (frying).
Cut the meat into pieces. Chop the onion. Place in a blender along with garlic, salt, ginger root, turmeric and pepper. Beat until smooth. Fry the resulting paste in a frying pan until it has a pleasant aroma. Then put the chopped meat there. Simmer over low heat until ready. You can add a little water. When ready, add milk. Boil. Switch off. Then let it brew under the lid. Chicken fillet Can be eaten with any side dish.
Stewed cabbage and more
And again, Thai cuisine combines, it would seem, “our products” - cabbage and pork. Cook rado in a special deep frying pan. Chop 450 grams of cabbage. Cut 120 g lean pork.
First, heat 14 peppercorns on it. Then pour in 2 tablespoons of coconut cream. Add chopped shallots and mix everything. Fry for about 3 minutes. Add cabbage and meat there. Stir-fry (3-5 minutes). Pour in 200 g of coconut milk and boil. Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Open. Fry for about 10 minutes. The main thing is that the cabbage does not turn into soft porridge. Then pour in a little fish sauce(when ready) and stir everything. Sprinkle chili on top (to taste).
Ingredients:
- coconut cream and milk;
- shallot;
- cabbage;
- pork;
- sauce;
- Chile.
We were convinced that making the second one from coconut milk is very accessible, simple and amazingly tasty.
Seasonings
Now let's try to make a sauce from coconut milk. Required Products:
- butter;
- flour;
- coconut milk;
- nutmeg (grated);
- salt;
- seasonings as desired;
- soy sauce;
- garlic;
- Chile;
- boiled shrimp.
Prepare step by step
"Coconut Beshamal" Chop 2 cloves of garlic. Peel the chili and chop it finely. Melt butter (30 grams) in a small saucepan and add the same amount of flour. Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat for a maximum of 2 minutes. Pour in two faceted glasses of milk, boil, add flaked almonds, spices of your choice (salt, pepper). Cook on a divider for no more than 20 minutes. Switch off. Add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and ready-made chopped garlic to the mixture.
Melt 20 grams butter until golden brown, add 80 grams of cream, mix. Then add chili (20 g green and 10 g red, finely chopped) and pour in the Bechamel. Stir until smooth. At the end, add 250 grams of boiled shrimp. Cook a little. Mix everything thoroughly again until completely homogeneous mass. Coconut milk sauce is a great addition to any dish.
Coconut milk cocktail
Hot party
Place ice cubes in a blender. Add and mix 30 ml of vodka and rum, 10 ml of vanilla tincture, 20 ml of orange juice and coconut milk, 40 ml of pineapple juice and 30 ml of cream. Serve chilled in a large glass. Trust me, the party will be great.
Cheerfulness
Boil 2 tsp in 150 grams of water. ground coffee. Strain if necessary. Pour into blender. Add 150 ml of coconut milk and 2 tsp (optional) regular sugar. Beat until foam appears. You can sprinkle 1 tsp on top. coconut flakes. The invigorating drink is ready.
So, you've learned what to do with coconut milk. Cook and enjoy. Believe me, your masterpieces will not leave anyone indifferent.
Coconut milk is an underrated product in our latitudes. It is known mainly as an element of exotic Thai cuisine and a number of diets that involve the abstinence of certain foods of animal origin. In this case, coconut milk acts as an alternative to the usual cow or goat milk, cream or sour cream.
However, a delicate creamy drink with a slight sweetish taste has much more useful properties, rather than just the ability to replace dairy products. Life hacker found out everything about the health benefits of coconut milk.
Benefits of coconut milk
First, let's define the concepts. Coconut milk is not at all the same water that splashes inside a whole tropical nut. That liquid is called coconut water, consists of almost 95% water itself and contains virtually no fat or other nutrients.
Milk is a mixture of coconut pulp and water carefully processed to a homogeneous mass. Lifehacker has already written about how to make coconut milk.
The output is high-calorie product With high content polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and microelements. So, after drinking one cup (240 ml), you will get Coconut Milk Health Benefits and Uses:
- 552 kilocalories;
- 57 g fat;
- 5 g proteins;
- 11% daily value vitamin C;
- 22% Daily Value for Iron and Magnesium;
- 18% Daily Value for potassium;
- 21% Daily Value for Selenium.
In addition, you will completely cover the body’s daily need for manganese. Here's what this fatty-vitamin-mineral cocktail does to your health.
1. You are losing weight
For many, the word “fat” evokes a strong association with overweight, but in in this case fats, on the contrary, promote weight loss. Sounds absurd? No.
Coconut milk contains mostly polyunsaturated fats (including the famous essential omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9), which are great for metabolism. But that's not all. About half of all fatty acids are lauric acid. This substance belongs to the category of so-called medium-chain fatty acids, which have one unique feature: from the digestive tract they go straight to the liver, where they are immediately used to produce energy or ketones (these substances are the main “fuel”).
Therefore, coconut fat has much less chance of turning into fat reserves - the body uses up The Properties of Lauric Acid and Their Significance in Coconut Oil it almost instantly.
In addition, lauric acid has another bonus: it is involved in the functioning of brain receptors that control appetite and helps reduce hunger. For example, here is a small study Impact of medium and long chain triglycerides consumption on appetite and food intake in overweight men which showed that overweight people consumed at breakfast fatty acid those with an average chain size ate 272 kilocalories less at lunch than those who consumed other types of fat at breakfast.
2. You get smarter and more productive.
This is how the already mentioned polyunsaturated fats omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9 work, as well as lauric acid, an energy supplier for the brain.
3. You Boost Your Immunity
Lauric acid is also a powerful antimicrobial Fatty Acids and Derivatives as Antimicrobial Agents and an antiviral agent that reduces the number of bacteria and viruses in the mouth and in the body as a whole. There is confirmed evidence that lauric acid can resist A Review of Monolaurin and Lauric Acid even such active and dangerous viruses as HIV, measles and a number of herpes, including cytomegaloviruses.
4. You Improve Heart and Cardiovascular Health
Coconut milk reduces the risk of cholesterol plaques on the walls of blood vessels. Moreover, this effect is so noticeable that scientists talk about good prospects for using coconut milk in dietary nutrition cardiac patients.
For example, in this 8-week study Impact of a traditional dietary supplement with coconut milk and soya milk on the lipid profile in normal free living subjects conducted with the participation of 60 men, it was found: oatmeal on coconut milk reduced the amount of “bad” cholesterol in the blood and increased the level of “good” cholesterol.
5. You improve the condition of your skin and hair
Coconut milk has a beneficial effect on our body not only internally, but also externally: for example, Lifehacker already talks about how omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids from food affect the level of skin hydration.
The antimicrobial and antiviral activity of lauric acid also extends to the treatment and prevention of all kinds of skin diseases: from eczema to herpes. Milk can be used as a mask for hair and skin or added to your usual cosmetical tools- for example, nourishing body cream.
Here is a video in which the famous American nutritionist Bruce Fife, president of the Coconut Research Center in Colorado Springs (USA), tells everything about how the fats contained in coconut milk affect appearance.
What to cook with coconut milk
Below are three incredibly quick, easy and budget-friendly recipes.
1. Carrot-coconut soup
EvilShenanigans/Flickr.comIt's simple and at the same time original dish Even a child can cook. This soup will be a good solution if you are following a fast or a vegetarian diet.
Ingredients:
- 3 carrots;
- 200 ml coconut milk;
- 400 ml water;
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice;
- 1 teaspoon turmeric;
- salt and ground black pepper to taste;
- parsley or basil for decoration.
Preparation
Peel the carrots, rinse in running water, cut into slices. Place in a saucepan, add water, bring to a boil. Then simmer over low heat until the carrots are soft.
Without turning off the heat, add turmeric, coconut milk, salt and pepper. Stir, reduce heat to low and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Remove the soup from the heat, add lemon juice and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Pour into plates and garnish with coarsely chopped herbs. To add more flavor to the soup, you can add 1 teaspoon of soy sauce to each bowl.
2. Chicken in coconut milk with spices and mango
CinnamonKitchn/Flickr.com This is one of the most popular dishes Thai cuisine, which is easy to prepare yourself.
Ingredients:
- 3 chicken breasts without skin;
- 250 ml coconut milk;
- 1 peeled mango;
- 1 peeled small carrot;
- 1 medium sized onion, peeled;
- 1 fresh pepper Chile;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 1 cm fresh ginger root;
- 1 teaspoon curry powder;
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce;
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil;
- salt to taste.
Preparation
Cut the onion into rings and fry in oil in a large frying pan until soft. Add the chicken cut into large cubes and fry over high heat until the pieces are browned on all sides.
Cut the mango and carrots into large cubes and add to the chicken. Reduce heat to medium, cover the pan and let the ingredients simmer for 3-4 minutes.
Chop the garlic, ginger, chili pepper with a knife and add to the pan with the chicken and mango. Add curry, salt, mix well, pour in coconut milk, bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover the pan with a lid and let it cool.
Serve in deep bowls, adding soy sauce to each to taste. The perfect side dish boiled rice goes with chicken with spices.
3. Coconut cocktail with strawberries
Linda-Pauline Pehrsdotter/Flickr.com Thanks to the addition of coconut milk, the taste of traditional milkshake becomes deeper and more interesting, acquiring an exotic touch. If for some reason you do not consume traditional dairy products (say, due to lactose intolerance), the cow's milk in this cocktail can be completely replaced with coconut milk or water.
Ingredients:
- 400 ml coconut milk;
- 200 ml cow's milk;
- 80 g brown sugar;
- 200 g fresh strawberries;
- 20 g coconut flakes;
- ice cubes if desired.
Preparation
Wash the strawberries, remove the stems, setting aside 3-4 berries (according to the number of glasses) for decoration. Place the peeled berries in a blender. Add ice based on the desired temperature of the future cocktail.
Pour in coconut and regular milk and whisk until smooth. Add sugar and beat again.
Pour into tall glasses, sprinkle coconut flakes. Decorate the glasses with whole or cut strawberries with preserved stems.
Do you have leftover coconut milk and don't know how to use it? We offer you 9 tips that will help you not only preserve coconut milk longer, but also use it as a highlight in your dishes. Both natural and canned coconut milk will do, or you can use coconut milk.
Freeze coconut milk
Coconut milk is pretty perishable product. Pour it into an ice cube tray and carefully place it in a plastic bag to lock in the flavor. Once the cubes are frozen, transfer them to a plastic bag and place them in freezer. Retrieve as needed.
Cool your tea or make ice cream
You can add coconut cubes to fruit juice or herbal tea to cool it down and get a beautiful effect. You can use these cubes when cooking.
Regular milk substitute
Thicken coconut milk to use in baked goods, frostings, or milk drinks instead regular milk. To do this, add sugar to the coconut milk to taste (about 2 tablespoons) and simmer over low heat for an hour or until it thickens and reduces by half (remember to stir occasionally).
Cool and creamy
Use natural creamy coconut milk for the dressing. lean soups, which can be served hot or cold. Or, for example, connect, cauliflower, squash, parsnip or zucchini with coconut for sweetness and texture. Add squeezed lemon juice (and you don’t have to worry about the milk curdling, it’s coconut milk!).
Gluten free
Regular pancakes for lunch are boring! Then maybe pancakes with coconut milk? Try making gluten-free vegetarian pancakes using coconut milk instead of regular milk and let the flavors of the tropics fill you.
Lightness and aroma
I want something special, light and aromatic for breakfast... Prepare light vegetarian smoothie made from coconut milk, berries and ripe bananas (you can add a handful of toasted coconut or oatmeal for texture if you like).
Whipped Coconut Cream
Use them instead regular cream. Fluffy whipped cream is easy to make: scoop the thickest part of the coconut milk that forms at the top of the container, add something sweet to taste, and then beat until fluffy with a hand mixer.
Perfect baked goods
Add coconut milk to caramel sauce or into heated chocolate to then decorate with bakery products, ice cream or cookies. Or, add it to cookies for flavor and aroma.
Cocktail time
If you like pina colada, mix coconut frozen cubes with dark rum and pineapple juice. Or add cubes to a smoothie orange juice and vodka or coffee liqueur to create a truly tropical cocktail.
Coconut milk is an indispensable thing during Lent
D For some time now, coconut milk has never been heard of in our country. But recently, due to the fact that more and more people are trying to fast, coconut milk has become an indispensable product in preparing dishes during abstinence from animal products. By the way, it will be said that in some countries, people are not familiar with dairy products at all. This applies primarily to Thai cuisine. Here, coconut milk and coconut cream are used for stewing and cooking. Coconut milk is obtained by grating the pulp coconut by mixing it with water and squeezing it through cheesecloth.
Coconut milk - sweet, milky white culinary basis, obtained from the pulp of ripened coconut. The color and rich taste of milk can be explained by its high oil and fat content. In Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia, coconut milk is called santan, and in the Philippines it is called gata. It should not be confused with coconut water (coconut juice), a natural liquid produced by naturally inside a coconut.
Coconut milk, also called "Asian cream", is obtained by squeezing the flesh of the coconut and, due to its low calorie content, is an alternative to cream. Coconut milk is used in stews, sauces and soups. Shake well before use. An opened can of coconut milk can be stored in the freezer.
Coconut milk, the liquid contained in the cavity of an unripe nut coconut tree. 5-6 months after flowering, up to 0.5 liters of sweet and sour liquid (coconut water) accumulates in the cavity of the developing fruit, used to quench thirst. As the nut ripens, the fat content in the liquid increases and it turns into an emulsion similar to cow's milk and replacing it in the food of the local population.
There are two stages of coconut milk: thick and thin. Thick coconut milk is prepared by directly squeezing the grated coconut meat through cheesecloth. The squeezed coconut meat is then soaked in warm water and pressed a second or third time to obtain liquid coconut milk. Thick milk used mainly in the preparation of desserts and rich dry sauces. Liquid milk is used in soups and cooking various dishes. Eastern countries There is usually no distinction between the two, since fresh coconut milk is generally not common and most consumers purchase coconut milk in cans. Manufacturers of canned coconut milk typically mix thick and thin milk and add water as a filler.
Coconut milk contains about 27% fat, 6% carbohydrates and 4% protein. Coconut milk promotes active fixation of water in cells; it is rich in amino acids, which actively capture water in the intercellular space and fix it in cells. Coconut milk is also rich in vitamins (B1, B2, B3, C).
Regular consumption of coconut milk, as Indian experts recently found, has a beneficial effect on cardiac function. This discovery may also be useful for our “core people”, at least for residents of big cities, because coconut milk is now sold in any decent supermarket.
And milk is crushed ripe pulp, and not at all liquid drained from it. The taste of coconut milk and its consistency directly depend on the number of squeezes. Pleasant sweet taste and delicate aroma has a product of the first pressing.
Chemical composition, harm and benefits of coconut milk
Coconut milk is not just incredible delicious product, this is very healthy treat. Thus, it contains a rich vitamin and mineral complex. Coconut is rich in vitamins B, C, E, PP, K, elements such as zinc, selenium, iron, potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese, amino acids and valuable fatty acids.
Nutritionists include nuts in the menu low calorie diet, since the sugar in fruits is fructose. Dishes with coconut milk are very popular. Coconut contains no more than 5% vegetable proteins, and also contains fats that are easily digestible by the human body. This allows you to use the product if you are intolerant to animal components.
Health effects of coconut milk
The harms and benefits of coconut milk are a frequent topic of discussion among scientists. The extract obtained from southern nuts has the following effects:
Southern coconut milk has a tonic effect. Natural product will fill the human body with strength after a hard day, remove fatigue, relieve depression and help restore excellent health.
Also, coconut milk, which, by the way, has reviews from doctors, and is purely positive, is recommended to be consumed during rehabilitation after undergoing a course of radiation and chemotherapy, after long-term use of antibiotics. It normalizes intestinal function, bringing its microflora back to normal.
It should be noted that heat treatment coconut milk does not deprive it of high nutritional properties. For this quality in Europe valuable product called "tropical cream".
Harm of coconut milk
Despite its wonderful properties, coconut milk can sometimes cause harm. It may cause allergic reactions. In this case, its consumption is strictly contraindicated. Also, according to experts, people with individual fructose intolerance should limit or even eliminate the intake of palm nuts.
The harm and benefits of coconut milk is a topic that worries many. Use large quantity it may lead to negative reactions from digestive system. Thus, attacks of nausea, diarrhea and dizziness are possible. In some cases, people experience increased arterial pressure, the heart rhythm is disrupted, the blood supply to organs is deteriorating.
You need to be especially careful with canned milk. A natural product should contain only coconut components and water. Milk with big amount preservatives will do little good. An expired product should also not be eaten.
Preparing coconut milk and shavings
Now we will look at how to make coconut milk at home. Fresh nuts can be found in almost every grocery store. The resulting product is widely used in cooking for making soups and cocktails. You can also make an excellent dessert from milk.
First, punch a hole in the coconut shell. To do this, select the desired “eye”. The liquid must be poured out, and only then the shell must be cracked. After the peel is peeled, we get white, fragrant pulp, which is what we need to make milk. Grate the pulp on a medium grater. Place it in a container and fill it with boiling water. You need to take enough water to cover the mass a little. After half an hour, squeeze out the grated nut using gauze. The resulting liquid is the most valuable coconut milk, which can be stored in the refrigerator for a day.
The shavings remaining after spinning must be placed on the oven tray. Dry until ready - within half an hour. One coconut typically yields a glass of milk and about two cups of shavings.
Popular Recipes with Coconut Milk
Dishes prepared using coconut milk have an unsurpassed aroma and amazing taste. The product itself ordinary dish will add a spicy aroma and tenderness. The harms and benefits of coconut milk were discussed earlier. Now let's look at some culinary recipes.
Chicken baked in coconut milk
To prepare this dish we will need the following ingredients:
chicken legs - 4 pcs.;
coconut milk - 2 cups;
onions - 2 heads;
vegetable oil - 1 tablespoon;
lemon juice - 1 tablespoon;
garlic - 2 cloves;
salt - 1 teaspoon;
seasonings
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Wash the chicken legs thoroughly and dry them. We cut them, separating the drumstick from the thighs. Lemon juice mix with chopped garlic, pepper, fennel, coriander and cinnamon. Rub the mixture over the meat and leave for half an hour. Finely chop the onion and fry it until golden brown. We add to it chicken legs and fry until fully cooked. Place the meat in a baking dish and pour coconut milk over it. Place the dish in the oven for 30 minutes. You can also always make dessert from milk.
Shrimp in coconut milk
To prepare this aromatic and tasty dish, you will need:
shrimp - 1 kg;
coconut milk - 2 cups;
onions - 2 heads;
tomatoes - 2 pcs.;
olive oil - 2 tablespoons;
seasonings
Peel the onions and cut into rings. Fry them in a frying pan in olive oil. Cut the tomatoes into small cubes and add to the onion. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Combine coconut milk with turmeric, pepper and saffron. We post it in vegetable mixture shrimps. Salt to taste and add coconut milk. The ingredients are stewed with the lid closed for no more than 15 minutes. Can be served. Bon appetit!
There are also other recipes. You can prepare a wide variety of dishes with coconut milk.
