Tag Archives: coconut

Sweet Potato Curry with Coconut Milk from Karnataka

Dinner, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When we lived in India I needed to go to Cochin in Kerala for work. The market research session I was attending didn’t start until the afternoon, so I had the morning to explore Fort Cochin. There amoungst the alleyways I found a tiny little bookshop piled high with books. A wonderful little treasure trove. From that store I bought a South Indian Vegetarian cookbook which I love exploring. This recipe is based on that for Urulaikizhangu Saagu which is a Potato Curry from Karnataka. Using sweet potatoes to make a Sweet Potato Curry gives it a slightly richer flavor (and a few more vitamins), and I skipped the process of making homemade coconut milk, and stuck to a store bought can for convenience. It is truly delicious!

Ingredients

  • 3 large sweet potatoes
  • 1 270ml can coconut milk
  • 2 large onions, finely chopped
  • 2 green chilies, de-seeded and finely chopped
  • 2cm piece of ginger, peeled, grated
  • 2 large tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt

Spice paste

  • 1 tsp poppy seeds
  • 3 dried chillies
  • 1 Tbsp Bengal gram or Moong dal
  • 1 Tbsp coriander seeds
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 cinnamon stick

Tempering

  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp urad dal
  • 1 tsp Bengal gram or Moong dal
  • 1 dried chilli
  • 1 sprig curry leaves

Directions

  1. Peel the sweet potatoes. Cut into 1-2cm cubes. Cook in salted, boiling water until tender. Drain and set aside
  2. Grind ingredients for spice paste in a mill accessory on a blender or food processor. Gradually add 2-3 Tbsp to make a paste
  3. Heat some oil in a large frying pan. Add all the Tempeeing ingredients and fry until the mustard seeds start to splutter
  4. Add the onions to the Tempered spices and fry until golden, around 3 minutes
  5. Add green chilies, ginger, tomatoes, turmeric, and salt. Fry for about 2 minutes
  6. Add 1 cup of water and turn up the heat (from 6 to 7 on an induction cooktop). Simmer for 4-5 minutes stirring occasionally
  7. Turn down the heat (to 6 on an Induction cooktop). Mix in the spice paste and sweet potatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure all ingredient should are well mixed together and the mixture does not catch on the pan
  8. Pour in the can of Coconut Milk and stir to combine thoroughly. Simmer for a few minutes over a low heat.
  9. Serve with rice, idli, dosa, or roti

Coconut Yoghurt

Condiments and Dips, , , , , , , , , ,

Coconut Yoghurt with Mango and Honey

Since going dairy free I haven’t had any yoghurt, or yoghurt substitutes. I wanted to change my breakfast habit (muesli and yoghurt) before trying any. Recently a friend gave me some culture grains that she uses to make her daily drink of kefir. I decided to use it to make a coconut yoghurt. After some experimentation, I found that you can vary the creaminess of the yoghurt by using coconut milk, coconut cream, or a mix of the two. This is a 50/50 mix, but you can make it more Greek Yoghurt like by adding more coconut cream

Ingredients

  • 200ml coconut milk
  • 200ml coconut cream
  • milk kefir grains (available on Amazon.com)
  • 1 mango
  • 1 tsp honey

Directions

  • Place the coconut milk and coconut cream in a jar. Stir to combine
  • Add the milk kefir grains to the coconut milk
  • Let the coconut milk mixture stand for 12-24 hours for the culture to do its magic
  • Strain the yoghurt through a mesh (I use a sifter) to sift out the kefir grains. Add the grains to a new batch of coconut milk.
  • Place the coconut yoghurt in a bowl in the fridge for 1 hour to cool down. It will also thicken in the fridge.
  • Serve the yoghurt topped with mango and a teaspoon of honey, or use it in a curry (such as a Palak Chicken Curry) to make the dish more creamy

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Oscar and the Wolf – Entity

Desiccated Coconut Milk

Condiments and Dips, , , , , , ,

Desiccated Coconut Milk

Recently for some strange reason we could not find any of the brand of coconut milk that we normally buy. It seemed to be sold out of all of the shops near our home. We looked at the labels of a lot of other brands of coconut milk, but were not happy with what we saw. In addition to a stabilizer, many had preservatives in them, and some other ingredients we didn’t understand.

Around the same time we ended up buying a whole pile of desiccated coconut on a shopping trip to the Indian wholesaler only to find when we got home that we already had quite a lot sitting at the back of the cupboard. OK, so let’s try combining the two and making our own coconut milk! Actually it is pretty simple, and using a blender it is also very fast. No more preservatives or stabilizers in this lot!

This recipe makes both thick and thin coconut milk, in the two presses of the coconut. I recommend that you press them into separate bowls and retain them separately for use in different recipes. The thick coconut milk can be used to replace cream, while the thin coconut milk can be used as a milk replacement in many dishes.

Ingredients

  • 180g desiccated (shredded) coconut
  • 1.25L hot water (5 cups)

Directions

  1. Put the desiccated coconut and half of the water (625ml / 2 1/2 cups) of hot water into a blender.
  2. Blend on high speed for 30 seconds.
  3. Pour the water and coconut mixture out over a fine sieve or a piece of muslin cloth (you could also use a fine tea cloth) with a bowl underneath.
  4. Squeeze all of the excess moisture out by squeezing the coconut in the cloth, or by pressing the coconut with the back of a spoon in the sieve.
  5. This first press of the coconut mixture will be thicker and creamier than the second press of the coconut mixture.
  6. Return the coconut to the blender and put the rest of the hot water in with it (625ml / 2 1/2 cups).
  7. Blend again on high for for 30 seconds
  8. Pour the second lot of water out over a fine sieve or piece of cloth, and a fresh bowl.
  9. This second press of the coconut mixture will be a thin coconut milk, but will normally be more than the first press of the coconut.
  10. Store the thick and thin coconut mixtures separately in airtight containers in the fridge, and use in soups, curries, or beverages.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: The Mountain Goats – Beat the Champ

Dairy Free Rice Pudding

Treats, , , , , , , , , ,

Dairy free rice pudding

It is many years since I have made a rice pudding, but it brings back memories of childhood. It is something my mother used to make when we were small. To make this one dairy free I have substituted the milk and cream for coconut milk and cream, and added cardamon to the cinnamon stick to add a fragrant flavour.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup white rice (uncooked)
  • 3 cardamon pods
  • 200ml coconut cream
  • 100ml coconut milk
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • pinch of salt
  • 4 Tbsp honey
  • A little ground cinnamon to garnish
  • Fruit to garnish (berries or mango)

Directions

  1. Put the rice in a pot. Add the cardamon pods. Add 2 1/2 cups of water and cook for approximately 15 minutes until cooked through (you might need to cook quicker or longer depending on the exact type of rice that you are using. Short grain pudding rice is a good choice, but Basmati or other long grain rices you might have in house are also OK).
  2. Ensure that there is no water left in the rice through draining or boiling dry dependent on the type of rice.
  3. Add the coconut cream, coconut milk, salt and cinnamon stick to the pot. Turn the heat down to a very low temperature. Boil the rice gently for around 5 minutes.
  4. Add the honey. Boil for another 5 minutes stirring often to avoid the rice pudding sticking.
  5. Remove from the heat when the pudding is a thick consistency and the rice has softened.
  6. Serve in small serving bowls and garnish with a little cinnamon powder. Serve with fruit (mango, berries or spiced apple are all good choices)
  7. Serves 5-6

Variations: you could also stir a handful of frozen cranberries or sultanas through the rice pudding when you add the cinnamon stick.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Emily Rice – Find me here

Salmon Coconut Curry

Dinner, , , , , , ,

Salmon Coconut Curry

We lived in India for two years and love Indian food. This curry is inspired by the food of Southern India, and is full of flavour, but not spicy. It uses chili only to create flavour rather than heat, and you remove the chilies after the dish is cooked. It is mild enough for children to eat, but extra chilli could be added if you prefer to add some spice.

Ingredients

Spice paste

  • 1/2 onion, sliced
  • 3 cm ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 100 ml coconut milk

Curry 

  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 6 green cardamon pods
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/2 large onion, sliced
  • 3 whole green chilies, pricked all over, whole
  • 120 ml coconut milk
  • 150 ml water
  • 250 gr salmon fillets, cut into pieces (can also use salmon trimmings)
  • 15-20 curry leaves
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp amchar (mango powder)
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • fresh coriander to garnish

Directions

  1. Place all of the spice mix ingredients into a blender. Blend well to form a spice paste.
  2. Heat 1 Tbsp of coconut oil in a moderate heat pan, add the mustard seeds, cardamon pods, cloves and cinnamon stick and fry until fragrant.
  3. Add the onion, and fry gently until soft.
  4. Add the spice mix, salt and chillies to the pan and stir well. Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Add the coconut milk, water, salmon fillets, curry leaves, pepper, garam masala, and mango powder. Stir to combine and then let it simmer for around 5 minutes until the fish is cooked through.
  6. Stir in the lemon juice and garnish with some fresh coriander.
  7. Serve with rice or cauliflower rice.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Anoushka Shankar – Traces of You

Spinach coconut curry with meatballs

Dinner, , , , , , ,

Spinach meatball curry

This is a substantial and warming meal that is great paired with cauliflower rice or rice. You can adapt it to your own level of preferred spiciness by adapting how much chili powder you include. This is a slightly spicy version.

Ingredients:

For the meatballs

  • 500 gr lamb mince
  • 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 onion, grated
  • 1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp ghee or coconut oil

For the curry

  • 220ml coconut milk
  • 100 ml water
  • 5 green cardamon pods
  • 15 fresh curry leaves
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
  • 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 500 gr baby spinach (or similar green vegetables)
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. First make the meatballs. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
  2. Now, make around 15 golf ball sized meatballs. Wet your hands before making a ball so they won’t stick to your hands.
  3. Put them on a plate and let them firm up in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
  4. Heat the ghee or oil in a large frying pan and brown the meatballs on all sides. When ready, put them on a plate and set aside.
  5. When all the meatballs are done, fry the curry leaves and cardamom pods for a few seconds until fragrant.
  6. Add the onion and fry until soft.
  7. Add the spices and the ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute more.
  8. Then add the coconut milk and water and bring to the boil.
  9. When boiling, add the spinach, cover and cook until wilted.
  10. Take the lid of, add the meatballs, season with salt and pepper and cook until the sauce thickens a little and the meatballs are heated through.
  11. Serve with rice or cauliflower rice

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Hindi Zhara – Homeland

 

 

Coconut oil

Glossary, , ,

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil contains short term medium-chain saturated fatty acids (MCFAs), which is a “healthy” form saturated fat compared to trans fat. Because coconut oil is a medium-chain saturated fatty acid, it gives it a higher smoking temperature than most polyunsaturated or monounsaturated oils. If you’re preparing recipes that require high temperatures you should consider Virgin Coconut Oil for this type of cooking. Unlike olive oil which will oxidise at high temperatures, creating free radicals. Olive oil is better as a dressing or on salads (not heated).

The Asian and Pacific Coconut Community (whose members produce 80% of the world’s coconut oil) defines Virgin Coconut Oil as being “obtained from fresh and mature kernel (12 months old from pollination) of the coconut by mechanical or natural means with or without the application of heat, which does not lead to alteration of the nature of the oil. VCO has not undergone chemical refining, bleaching or deodorizing. It can be consumed in its natural state without the need
for further processing. Virgin coconut oil consists mainly of medium chain tryglycerides, which are resistant to peroxidation. The fatty acids in virgin coconut oil are distinct from animal fats which contain mainly of long chain saturated fatty acids. Virgin coconut oil is colorless, free of sediment with natural fresh coconut scent. It is free from rancid odor or taste.”
 
We suggest you look for a “Virgin Coconut Oil”, rather than only “Coconut Oil” on the label as it is regulated by the above code of practice for labeling.

 

 

Coconut Aminos

Glossary, , , ,

Coconut Aminos

Coconut Aminos is a Gluten Free replacement for Soy Sauce. It often comes as a shock for people who are new to their Gluten Free lifestyles that Soy Sauce contains Gluten (wheat is often the first ingredient), but not all soy sauces are created equal. There are Gluten Free Soy Sauces available (including from popular Soy Sauce brand Kikkoman), but Coconut Aminos is also a useful replacement and has the added advantage of also being Soya free. It is available from good Health Stores.

Gluten Free Breakfast Muffins

Breakfast, Treats, , , , , , , ,

Breakfast muffins

These are delicious muffins that are perfect for a snack or for breakfast. The combination of figs and cranberries makes them both rich and sweet.

Ingredients

  • 2-3 ripe bananas
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 Tbsp ghee
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • seeds of half a vanilla bean
  • 1/2 Tbsp grated (desiccated) coconut
  • 1/2 cup sifted coconut flour
  • 5 dried figs, chopped into pieces
  • handful of chopped cashew nuts
  • handful frozen or dried cranberries

Directions

  1. Pre-warm the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
  2. Mash the bananas in a bowl.
  3. Add eggs and ghee and mix well.
  4. Add cinnamon, baking soda, salt and vanilla. Mix
  5. Add grated coconut, mix.
  6. Add coconut flour and mix well
  7. Add the figs and cashews and stir through. 
  8. Half fill the muffin cups with batter, and add some cranberries before filling the cups
  9. Sprinkle with a little coconut on top for garnishing
  10. Cook at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 20-25 minutes

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Beck – Morning Phase

 

 

 

 

Grilled Salmon with Green Mango Salad

Lunch and Light Meals, , , , , , , , , , ,

Grilled Salmon and Green Mango Salad

This is a very fresh, summary dish inspired by our recent trip to Thailand. While the mango salad takes a little bit of preparation work, there are no difficult techniques. Coconut Aminos and Kaffir lime leaves might not be familiar to you, so we have included some notes on these ingredients below.

Ingredients

  • 2 Salmon fillets
  • Sea salt
  • Black pepper
  • 5 red shallots, finely chopped
  • 2 cm fresh galangal, finely chopped
  • 1 red chilli, chopped (deseeded when using a hot chilli)
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1,5 tbsp coconut aminos
  • 1/4 tsp maple syrup
  • Splash of water
  • Squeeze of lime juice
  • 1 raw green mango, peeled and cut into thin strips of 3 cm long
  • Handful fresh coriander, roughly copped
  • Few Thai basil leaves
  • 3 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped and with the middle stem of the leaf removed

Directions

  1. Season the fillets with sea salt and black pepper.
  2. Fry the fish in a little coconut oil for a couple of minutes until done and set aside.
  3. Fry the shallots, garlic, galangal and chilli in the same pan as the fish for about three minutes.
  4. Add the coconut aminos, maple syrup, water and lime juice and give it a stir.
  5. Take the pan of the heat and add the mango, coriander, basil and kaffir lime.
  6. Mix well and serve with the fish.

About Kaffir Lime Leaves: The kaffir lime is a fruit native to tropical Asia including India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. It is used in Southeast Asian cuisine. If the recipe calls for kaffir lime leaves and you can’t find any, skip the leaves. Don’t substitute. The fragrance is so distinct that it is irreplaceable.

About Coconut Aminos: Coconut Aminos is a Gluten Free replacement for Soy Sauce. It often comes as a shock for people who are new to their Gluten Free lifestyles that Soy Sauce contains Gluten (wheat is often the first ingredient), but not all soy sauces are created equal. There are Gluten Free Soy Sauces available (including from popular Soy Sauce brand Kikkoman), but Coconut Aminos is also a useful replacement, and available from good Health Stores.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: John Legend – Love in the Future