What Is Coconut Milk? A Information to Canned Coconut Milk

Canned coconut milk is one in all our favourite pantry staples. Whereas it’s most famously utilized in Thai curries, it upgrades every part from humble lentils to weeknight salmon and vegan cake with its dairy-free lusciousness and barely candy taste. Right here’s every part you’ll want to know when utilizing canned coconut milk in your cooking. 

What’s canned coconut milk?

Canned coconut milk is shredded or grated coconut flesh from mature coconuts (aka brown ones) that will get pureed with water for a creamy but liquidy texture. It’s totally different from cartons of coconut milk, that are sometimes offered as dairy milk options for including to espresso and baked items. The carton selection is normally watered down significantly and may embody stabilizers, so it’s not substitute for canned coconut milk. 

What’s the distinction between coconut milk and coconut cream? 

The largest distinction between coconut milk and cream is the fats content material. Coconut cream can be shredded and pressed coconut flesh, but it surely’s constructed from the primary press of the coconut, whereas coconut milk is pressed extra occasions and mixed with water, yielding much less fats. A can of coconut milk will normally have a thick layer of coconut cream on the high because of the fats that naturally separates, until your can contains plenty of stabilizers like guar gum. 

Remember the fact that coconut cream is totally different from cream of coconut, a syrupy product that’s artificially sweetened and used for cocktails or desserts like piña coladas and coconut cream pie. 

How you can use coconut milk (and the cream on the high)

Coconut milk provides a ravishing depth and lusciousness to Thai curries, soups, and extra. Because it’s normally not totally emulsified, you’ll need to shake the can vigorously earlier than opening it and including to recipes. In the event you neglect to shake the can earlier than opening, then give it stir with a spoon.

You too can scrape off the cream on the high of a can of coconut milk to make use of in stir-fries or different dishes. First permit the can to sit back earlier than scraping off the fatty high layer, then sauté aromatics within the cream as you’d in oil or butter. You too can use coconut cream one-to-one to interchange heavy cream (so long as you’re okay with some coconut taste, after all). 

Full-fat vs. low-fat coconut milk

When searching for coconut milk, you’ll seemingly see some cans labeled “reduced-fat” or “lite.” These are made the identical means as full-fat coconut milk, however watered down to cut back the fats content material; they might additionally include extra components and stabilizers. We all the time advocate utilizing the full-fat model.

“Full-fat coconut milk has all of the richness and taste I would like from this ingredient, and makes every part fantastically creamy,” says F&W’s Affiliate Editorial Director of Meals, Chandra Ram. “Mild or skim coconut milk is a tragic comparability; you don’t get any of that creamy richness that makes sauces and soups so scrumptious.”

How you can purchase coconut milk

Canned coconut milk is extensively accessible at grocery shops, however for the richest, creamiest coconut milk, contemplate turning to Asian grocery shops or the web. Keep away from shopping for deeply dented cans. A few of our favourite manufacturers embody Aroy-D and Mae Ploy. We additionally like Savoy Coconut Cream, which provides the same fats content material as most canned coconut milk. 

How you can retailer coconut milk

Retailer canned coconut milk in a dry, cool place like your pantry. If saved in an hermetic container, leftover coconut milk from a can will final within the fridge for as much as 10 days. Discard the coconut milk if it smells bitter, or if the liquid has curdled.