Tastiest with coconut milk

An important ingredient which adds flavour to Asian and South Indian curry is coconut milk. Extracted from coconut flesh, coconut milk is widely used in South Indian and Thai curries for its sweet and mild taste.

From different cuisines to cocktails and desserts, coconut milk is hot favourite in few regions of the country while it is still remains to be touched in other areas despite easy availability.

“All Thai or Malaysian curries, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, are made with coconut milk. As the dishes are rich in spices, milk is added to cut down the spicy quotient of fresh chillies added to the dish. In India, it is widely used in coastal areas because of its easy availability. In Kerala it is widely used in prawn curries and fish curries while in Goa, coconut milk is used along with jaggery for desserts,” informs Shibhu TP, vice president under One Roof Hotel Consultant.

Though a hot favourite in all coastal regions, there are only limited coconut milk lovers in North India. Though coconut milk is easily available these days, thanks to companies selling packed coconut milk, there are few takers of the item.

“North Indian cuisines are highly cooked. Coconut milk if heated constantly converts into oil. So if it is added to North Indian dishes and curries the taste will vary owing to the oil. It can also be used to make Gajar ka halwa but in that case it will not give the same taste as with the condensed milk,” says Shibhu.

However,  the milk is widely used in cocktails like ‘Pina Colada’ and other drinks in northern part of the country, informs Shibhu.

Repeating the same line, Bishen Negi, Chef at Marriott, Gurgaon says there North Indian dishes are hardly made on coconut milk but they can experiment with it if they have liking for coconut.

“In Malaysia people use coconut milk in biryani to add extra flavour to it.  Add milk in spicy dishes and feel the cha­nge in it or else make savo­u­ries from the milk.”

For those who are health conscious, coconut milk is a rich source of oil, proteins, fats, vitamins and iron. It relaxes muscles and nerves and helps in maintaining healthy immune system.