Another one of my mother’s muscle memory recipes. This time a beef curry from Bangladesh recipe. The other ingredient I noticed my mother would throw into pots of food when she was cooking was coconut milk. I’ve used coconut oil myself in cooking and in making things like skin care products. Lots of benefits to coconut oil. We used to drink coconut water when I was younger and eat coconuts all the time. I like coconuts. And I see cans of coconut milk in the stores and it’s always in Thai food. I decided I wanted to know what the difference between all these coconut products. So, I decided to do some research.
What exactly is coconut milk and how is it made?
Coconut milk is the liquid that comes from the grated pulp of a mature coconut. The opaque colour and rich taste of coconut milk is due to the high oil content, most of which is a saturated fat. Coconut milk is used a lot in Southeast Asian, South Asian, Caribbean and South American cuisine. Coconut milk is a rich source of manganese. Some of the health effects of coconut milk are due to the coconut oil which is high in saturated fats an so discouraged from consuming in large amounts. Excessive consumption of coconut milk can raise blood levels of cholesterol. [1]
Coconut Water
There is also coconut water. What exactly is the difference, if any, between coconut milk and coconut water? Coconut milk is made by shredding a freshly cut coconut meat and simmering in water to extract the coconut flavour, straining out the pieces. Let the liquid separate into a fat rich cream layer and a thin “skim” layer. Coconut milk is an emulsion of two fluids, coconut cream and coconut water. As it cools it separates into these two components with the cream rising to the top and the water settling to the bottom. Coconut cream can also be sold on its own. It is thicker and higher in fat than the water. The result is much thicker and richer sauces. It may be used as a cooking fat. Cream of coconut is again a different ingredient. It is coconut cream added with sugar and usually used in desserts. [2, 7]
Benefits of coconut milk
There are benefits to eating, drinking and using coconut milk in foods. There is some evidence that the MCT, medium chain triglyceride fats in coconut milk may benefit weight loss by reducing appetite and increasing metabolism to help you lose belly fat. With regards to heart health, cholesterol and triglyceride levels improve with coconut intake of any kind. If LDL cholesterol increases, then HDL usually increases as well. Some other benefits of coconut milk:
- Reduce inflammation
- Decreases ulcer size
- Fights viruses and bacteria
Adverse affects of coconut milk are limited unless you are allergic to coconut. Some canned coconut milk has BPA, bisphenol a chemical that can leach from the can into the food. Finding a BPA free canned coconut milk is probably best. [3]
Benefits of coconut water
Coconut water comes from the green coconuts. This is very high in potassium, making it popular among athletes. Coconut water is great a drink on its own or great for making sorbets and salad dressings.
Ways to include coconut in your diet
Coconut can be used in many ways in your diet beside in cooking curries like the one here. Some ways to incorporate coconut into your diet:
- Add coconut milk to your coffee
- Add coconut milk to smoothies or protein shakes
- Add pour coconut milk over berries or fruit
- Add a few tablespoons of coconut milk to oatmeal or other cooked cereals.
- Cooking with coconut oil instead of olive or vegetable oils.
- Drinking coconut water.
- Making dressings with coconut water
- Adding shredded coconut to desserts such as cookies or sprinkling on top of ice cream, crumbles etc. [3]
Mother’s Beef Curry from Bangladesh Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lbs beef (cut into 2” cubes)
- ¼ c oil
- 1 onion (medium – large, chopped)
- 2 potatoes (medium, chopped)
- 5 tsp ground ginger
- 5 tsp ground garlic
- ¾ tsp turmeric
- ¾ tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garamasala
- 5ish pods of cardamom
- 4ish cloves
- 2ish bay leaves
- 1c coconut milk
Directions
- Marinate chopped potatoes in water with a pinch of salt and turmeric for at least 15 minutes
- In a frying pan, fry inions in oil until brown.
- Remove from pan.
- Add beef to a pan with oil and 1c water(?)
- Add spices: garlic, ginger, chili powder, garamasala, cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaves, cardamom
- Cook over medium heat, constantly stirring until water evaporates
- Add coconut milk.
- Bring to a boil while stirring.
- Turn heat to low. Let simmer covered for at least 1 hour.
- Mix meat after 30 minutes; add chopped marinated potatoes.
- Increase heat; continue stirring; add 1 c water.
- Bring not a boil for a few minutes.
- Turn heat down to low and simmer with intermittent stirring for 30 minutes. If you find that it is almost dry, add 1c of water; bring to a boil and then simmer again.
- Continue until potatoes are cooked.
- Beef curry is done when the potatoes are cooked.
Notes:
The one thing I noticed was I had to be very patient and let the simmering do it’s thing to the beef between each stage. The longer the beef simmers and sits in the spices, coconut milk even if water or something extra has to be added, it’s worthwhile in the end.
Modifications:
What I may consider if is coconut milk isn’t something you want to use, perhaps another kind of milk or even a yogurt. A regular milk, or soy milk, or even cream. Perhaps a plain yogurt or Greek yogurt or a goat’s milk yogurt or Skyr.
Tea pairings:
I’m learning about tea pairings by writing up this little note on tea pairings for each recipe. It seems that black teas are best paired with meats such as beef, venision, lamb, hearty pastas etc. The hearty and rich flavours pair well with these kinds of meats and dishes. [8,9]
References:
- Coconut Milk, Wikipedia, URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_milk
- How to Buy the Right Coconut Milk (or Water) (or Cream), Tommy Werner, April, 2015, Epicurious, URL: https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/differences-between-coconut-milk-water-cream-article
- Coconut Milk Health Benefits and Uses, Franziska Spritzler, July 2016, Health Line, URL: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coconut-milk
- What You Need to Know About Coconut Milk, Sidney Fry, June 2015, Cooking Light, URL: https://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/nutrition-101/coconut-milk-basics
- Coconut Milk: 10 Irresistible Ways to Use It, Clotilde, Dec 2017, C&Z, URL: https://cnz.to/ingredients-fine-foods/coconut-milk-10-irresistible-ways-to-use/
- Coconut Milk Vs. Coconut Oil, Ann Daniels, Oct 2017, Live Strong, URL: https://www.livestrong.com/article/356635-coconut-milk-vs-coconut-oil/
- Getting to Know Your Coconut. Understanding the Difference Between Coconut Oil, Milk, Cream, Water and Butter, Cathy Biase, March 2018, Cathy Biase, URL: http://www.cathybiase.com/getting-know-coconut-understanding-difference-coconut-oil-milk-cream-water-butter/
- Tea & Meat or Poultry, Palais Des Thes Paris, URL: https://www.palaisdesthes.com/en/gastronomy/pairings/meat/
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