Pantry
Coconut milk
Also called tinned coconut milk, coconut cream
Grated coconut flesh squeezed with water until the liquid turns opaque. The full-fat tin is the cooking kind; 'light' is the same thing watered down. Coconut cream is the thicker first press. This is not coconut water, and not coconut-flavoured UHT milk.
Origin
Tropical Asia, the Pacific and the coasts where coconuts grow. The tin let inland kitchens cook coastal curries — Thai, Malay, Caribbean, Bahian.
Flavour
Sweet, fatty, gently nutty. Cheap tins taste of the liner and separate into a plug and thin water — still usable if you warm and whisk.
How it is made
Mature coconut meat is grated and pressed. Stabilisers keep many tins from splitting on the shelf; additive-free tins often taste better and split more honestly in the pan.
How to use it
Shake so the fat recombines. Add to a curry after the paste has fried, then simmer gently — a hard boil splits it into oil and whey. A whisk and a splash of water sometimes bring it back; the oil is not a disaster in a curry. Light coconut milk makes a thin sauce. Taste for salt; the sweetness fools you.
Storage
Unopened tins in the pantry. Once open, fridge in a jar a few days, or freeze in portions.
Recipes using it
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