The Coconut Series: Why I Heart Coconut Milk And An Easy Peasy Curry Recipe

So why is coconut so good for you?

Two Words: Lauric Acid. From the Weston A Price website: 

The lauric acid in coconut oil is used by the body to make the same disease-fighting fatty acid derivative monolaurin that babies make from the lauric acid they get from their mothers= milk. The monoglyceride monolaurin is the substance that keeps infants from getting viral or bacterial or protozoal infections. Until just recently, this important benefit has been largely overlooked by the medical and nutrition community.

You can also read more on the various health benefits of coconut from the book, Eat Fat, Lose Fat, written by Mary Enig and Sally Fallon. Here, the authors attempt to correct the common (and mistaken) assumption that tropical fats and oils (coconut and palm) are unhealthy and that they contain healthy saturated fats that we need more of.

For a more global perspective on coconut oil, you can read this excerpt from the Asian Pacific Coconut Community on experts findings on the health benefits of coconut oil.

Since coconut oil is mostly absent in most American kitchens, let’s start with something more familiar: coconut milk.

Why I Heart Coconut Milk

Because it’s so yummy. Now, I’m not talking about the thin, watered-down, low-fat anemic version they sell at Trader Joes (yes, I am biased). We’re talking creamy fatty milk. I often use Chaokoh Thai Coconut Milk that you can get at your local Asian store. But recently, I discovered a BPA-free, organic option with Native Forest Coconut Milk. You can get it online via True Foods Market and Amazon (both of which I am an affiliate of, but I highly recommend these brands.) You can mix it with pineapple juice and lime for a non-alcoholic version of pina colada. You can use it to boil glutinous rice with a little bit of honey for a sweet dessert. But best of all, you can use it to make curry!

My Curry Recipe I Can Make With My Eyes Closed

Can I just say that I can eat curry everyday of my life? Okay, maybe not everyday but I just don’t tire of it. It is my default dish when I don’t know what to make for dinner. My poor husband. I use premade (Mae Ploy) curry paste I get at our local Asian market.  You can make your own if you’d like with the help of a tutorial at Thai Food and Travel.  Be warned! This recipe is not exacting. I’m a notorious eye-baller. I don’t measure anything and sort of just do as I feel like it. You can omit the fish sauce and palm/cane sugar but it makes for a more authentic taste in my opinion. Add a little bit at a time until you figure out the taste you are going for.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp coconut oil (or butter)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbps or more of curry paste 
• 2-3 lbs chicken pieces (I prefer dark meat)
• 2 cans of coconut milk (14 oz)
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbps palm/cane sugar
• Garnish: green onions, red pepper, cilantry

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add onions and cook until translucent. Season with S & P. Add ginger. Cook and enjoy the fragrance. Add curry paste and mix. Push onions to the side. Brown chicken in the middle for  a few seconds. Mix together with onions and cook for several minutes. Turn down heat to low and let it sit for a minute. Add coconut milk. Stir to mix. Add fish sauce and cane sugar to your liking. And you are done!

I like to add garbazo beans and carrots for some reason. You can garnish with green onions, slivers of red pepper and cilantro. Serve on rice. Yum. I hope you enjoy it!

Next week, I hope to continue writing about the wonders of coconut and share some recipes using coconut flour. Yum! Also, I’d like to ask if there’s anything you want me to cover in particular. I’m here to serve

This post is part of Fight Back Friday and Real Food Wednesday.