At home, my mom would combine the grated coconut with water and squeeze out the milk once, then twice. The first squeezing produced thick coconut milk, and the second squeezing, thin coconut milk. Both were used in everything from savory dishes like curries and stews to sweets and drinks like steamed cakes and es teler (kinda like an Indonesian halo halo<\/em>).<\/p>\n Coconut milk has always been a huge part of my diet, much more so than cow\u2019s milk. So you can imagine my delight when I found out about Ramin Ganeshram\u2019s new cookbook Cooking with Coconut–125 Recipes for Healthy Eating; Delicious Uses for Every Form: Oil, Flour, Water, Milk, Cream, Sugar, Dried; Shredded<\/em> (Storey Publishing, December, 2016).<\/a><\/p>\n (Disclosure: Ramin was my instructor for a food writing class I took eons ago!).<\/p>\n Cooking with Coconut features over a hundred coconut-inflected recipes. Don’t be fooled by the word “healthy” on the cover, the recipes are delicious!<\/p><\/div>\n In her book, Ramin writes that coconut is native to tropical climates and is a staple ingredient in the cuisines of South Asia, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia (that\u2019s my tribe!).<\/p>\n In the U.S., the Southern colonies were the first to encounter coconut. Whole mature coconuts arrived on trade ships also bringing sugar, spices and slaves from the Caribbean, and coconut was used only sparingly (think coconut cream pie). It wasn\u2019t until the early 20th<\/sup> century (1900\u2019s) when entrepreneur Franklin Baker Sr., who owned a flour milling outfit, had a ship\u2019s hold full of fresh coconuts and no buyers. Caught in a bind, Baker figured out a way to dry and grate the white-fleshed coconuts before they spoiled and gave the flakes away to home cooks and chefs to try. Needless to say, they were a hit and this changed the future of coconut and baked goods in the U.S. Today, you can find Baker\u2019s product stocked on any supermarket\u2019s shelves as Baker\u2019s Angel Flake Sweetened Coconut.<\/p>\n Coconut in its various forms\u2014water, milk, chips, shreds, sugar, oil, molasses, vinegar, flour etc.– is no longer considered exotic in the U.S. Coconut is versatile and easy to adapt to the modern kitchen. Coconut is also a tropical super-powerhouse of nutrients. It definitely deserves a place in your pantry.<\/p>\n Clockwise from top: Coconut cream, milk, sugar, flour, nectar, oil, raw, flakes, finely shredded, coarsely shredded, water. Photo credit: Matt Armendariz<\/p><\/div>\n Here is a sampling of the products you can find at North American stores:<\/p>\n Dried coconut <\/strong>is the meat from mature brown coconuts that has been further dried. It is sold in packages shredded, diced, flaked, sweetened, and unsweetened. Sweetened flaked coconut is commonly used for baking.<\/p>\n Coconut water <\/strong>is found in the center of the coconut, and is more abundant in young or green coconuts. In some cultures, coconut water (not Gatorade!) is used as an electrolytic drink to prevent dehydration.<\/p>\n Coconut milk<\/strong> is the smooth liquid that\u2019s pressed out when coconut meat and water are combined\/pureed and strained. The less water used, the thicker and creamier the milk. <\/p>\n You\u2019ll find coconut milk most often in shelf-stable cans<\/strong> which comes in lite (reduced fat) and full fat. Shake the can before use or shake it to mix the thicker cream with the thinner milk below. <\/p>\n Coconut milk in refrigerated cartons<\/strong> is considered a nondairy beverage and can be found next to the soy and almond milks in the supermarket. Flavoring, sweetener and carrageenan are usually added. I\u2019d use this form more for drinking than cooking, and perhaps some baking.<\/p>\n My latest find is coconut milk in Tetrapaks<\/strong>. These shelf-stable cartons are similar to canned milk and come in small packs for a single use.<\/p>\n Coconut Cream <\/strong>results from processing coconut meat with very little water. The cream separates and rises to top. In the Caribbean, coconut cream is sold in blocks like butter and thinned with hot water to make the desired consistency.<\/p>\n Coconut nectar or molasses <\/strong>has a low glycemic index like agave and is becoming more popular. After the coconut palm tree is tapped, the sap is heated at a low temperature to thicken. The viscous liquid is then used as a sweetener.<\/p>\n Coconut flour<\/strong> is defatted coconut meat dried and ground into flour. It\u2019s derived from the solids leftover from the process of making coconut milk and can be a substitute for all-purpose flour.<\/p>\n Coconut sugar <\/strong>is popular because of its low glycemic index. It is also a sap-based product but this time, the heavy branches growing coconut blossoms are tapped for the milky white sap they hold. The sap is boiled at a low temperature until it granulates into sugar crystals. The process is similar to transforming cane juice into granulated sugar.<\/p>\n Macapuno or coconut sport <\/strong>is a must in the Filipino dessert halo halo<\/a>. Sometimes jokingly called \u201cmutant coconut\u201d or \u201cfreak coconut,\u201d macapuno is a genetic anomaly. Instead of coconut water (it may have a little), a macapuno coconut contains a gelatin-like substance that\u2019s scraped out in shreds. The shreds are cooked, turning them translucent, and preserved in jars with syrup and used for candies, pastries and ice cream. <\/p>\n Coconut vinegar <\/strong>is made from the sap that\u2019s produced from tapping coconut blossoms. Because coconut trees are typically grown in extremely nutrient-rich soil, the blossoms are packed with everything from amino acids to vitamins B and C, fiber, and inulin, a naturally occurring prebiotic for digestive health.<\/p>\n Now that you have some coconut background, you\u2019ve got to try out some recipes! I\u2019m happy to share Ramin\u2019s \u201cSri Lankan Hoppers and Egg Curry\u201d below but if you want to explore coconut’s infinite possibilities as an ingredient\u2014sweet, savory, and sippable–Cooking with Coconut<\/em> is your go-to tome. Packed with an assortment of global recipes including Thai, Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, and many Caribbean cultures, This cookbook also contains some new\/fusion recipes that Ramin cooked-up.<\/p>\n COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Ramin’s publisher Storey Publishing is giving one lucky reader a copy of \u201cCooking with Coconut.\u201d And trust me, if you love coconut like I do, you want this book!<\/p>\n For a chance to win, please leave a comment below with your favorite coconut-based dish and sign up for the Pickles and Tea mailing list. That\u2019s it! (And if you could be so kind to retweet it<\/a>, I’ll be eternally grateful!)<\/p>\n![\"cooking](\"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/picklesandtea\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2017\/02\/CookingwithCoconutCover4_web.jpg\")
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