Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with coconutmilk

Is coconut milk fattening?

hifiparasol — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:46:37 -0800

Is coconut milk fattening? Lately I've been getting really into Trader Joe's Thai Green Curry simmer sauce, which I had assumed was relatively healthy until I happened to look at the label: 13 grams of saturated fat per serving, equaling 63 percent of the recommended daily value.

I assume most of this is coming from the coconut milk and shredded coconut in the sauce (there's no eggs/dairy/meat in it). I tried googling around for some info, but this was the best I could find, and I get a creepy SEO vibe from it. I get the same vibe from many of the other articles I found too -- though they all seem to offer some not-100%-convincing good news (that coconut milk can be healthy when combined with an active lifestyle, that Pacific islanders have low instances of obesity and heart disease, yada yada).

Has anyone read anything on this topic that can enlighten me?

How can I make a coconut milk-based sauce more healthy?

HotPatatta — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 14:18:25 -0800

How can I make a coconut milk-based sauce more healthy but still keep it creamy? I have some ideas and I'd like your suggestions. I'm kind of making a Panang-style tofu dish but it's not very authentic. That's ok, though. I'm going to serve it over quinoa instead of rice.

So here's the dilemma. I need to simmer the tofu cubes and veggies in a sauce that's normally made of coconut milk, a bit of fish sauce, and yellow curry paste. I love the creaminess of the sauce that the coconut milk makes, but I really want to cut down on the calories and fat because coconut milk is basically as unhealthy as heavy whipping cream. I'm okay with using some coconut milk, but I don't want to use too much. Maybe 25-50% of the normal amount.

Here are my ideas, though I don't know whether they'll will work or taste good. These came straight from my imagination. With all of them, I will use some coconut milk but not much.

1. Add some nonfat milk and a bit of roux (made of flour and olive oil) to thicken. Problem: If I simmer the sauce that has milk, will the milk get burned, will the milk and coconut cream separate?

2. I bought some soft tofu and the package says it's good for salad dressings. I assume that means I can put it in the blender and it will turn into a creamy sauce (?). Can I use that instead of coconut milk? I have never used soft tofu before. Can I use it as a substitute for a portion of the coconut milk? Will it taste too funny? Will it separate or get weird when it simmers/boils?

3. Use half water and half coconut milk and throw in some corn starch to thicken.

I realize I will have to sacrifice some of the flavor and texture that I would otherwise get with all the coconut milk, but I want it to still be yummy.

Got any other ideas?

Why is my coconut milk blue?

changeling — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 00:19:22 -0800

Why did my coconut milk turn blue? I used half a can of organic, light coconut milk in a recipe and then forgot about the rest of it. Two weeks later, I unearthed it from the back of the fridge, and it was blue. Vibrant, eye-stinging, cobalt blue. Very pretty, actually. But why?