Useful cooking information
If anyone out there likes to cook Thai food but chooses not to because of the coconut milk. Here is a low-fat alternative:
2 Tbsp. coconut extract 1 Tbsp. sugar (you can use sweetener if you prefer but the sugar adds a necessary texture) About a cup of fat-free evaporated milk Cornstarch or arrowroot dissolved in cold water Heat extract, sugar and milk in microwave (or on stove) to dissolve sugar. Slowly add arrowroot/cornstarch that has been dissolved in a bit of cold water. Continue heating until the desired consistency is achieved. Use as you would coconut milk. "It works great in a stir fry, puddings, etc. It's a way to get great flavor but cut the fat." :spin: ;) |
Coconut milk
TropicCAL, a brand here in NY makes a lower calorie low fat coconut milk which I've bought and have not had the guts to use yet. Would that work as well as your mixture? In terms of volume for the recipe, there's a one for one ratio in the canned... Yours too? Also, I agree that sugar (1 tbs is only 1 point...) is better than sweetener. Sometimes they break down and really impart an aftertaste when they get heated. Thanks so much for that...
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Hi there, I've used lite coconut milk (a couple different brands) many times and they've worked out very well. Of course, it's been so long since I had the regular kind, I may forget but the lite suit me just fine. Before I discovered that I used soy milk with coconut extract as a substitute, but it was not as good as the real thing. Good luck with your experiments!
Flib 292.6/173.8/165 |
Alternative to Coconut milk
In response to your question Imaleader,
Yes, the low fat coconut milk does work well as far as the flavour goes, however the difference that I do notice is your recipe goes a bit runny. With this recipe you still get the flavour and the consistency that you want as well. Sorry I can't really help you as far as your question about volume, every time I cook I use different measurements to suit my taste. If you experiment, Good luck! Rannie ;) |
Hi,
Coconut milk is regular milk flavored by steeping it with raw coconut. The lowfat version uses lowfat milk. You can make your own using nonfat milk or evaporated skim milk, which would lower the calories by quite a bit. I don't know how to calculate the points, though, because I don't know if any of the fat from the coconut stays in the milk after you've strained it. If it doesn't, it would be the same points as nonfat milk (plus the sugar, if you've added any). Unfortunately, my recipe with the proportions of coconut to milk is in a file I haven't seen since we moved a few months ago (it's probably in a box in the garage :lol: ), but I can tell you the basic technique and give you some tips. First, most recipes call for raw, unsweetened coconut. The only way I can get that where I live is to buy a whole coconut, husk it, dig out the meat and shred or grate it myself. There are health food stores that carry raw unsweetened coconut. If you don't want to deal with a whole coconut and can find only sweetened coconut in your markets, reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe. If you want to sweeten it with artificial sweetener, I suggest that you let it cool to room temperature before you add the sweetener. I don't use sweeteners so I don't know if they have invented any (and made them available to the consumer) that don't break down with cooking or baking. Regarding the strainer--You can use cheesecloth or a coffee filter if you don't have a super fine strainer. If I were making vanilla milk, I wouldn't use a coffee filter, though, because I want to keep the tiny vanilla seeds in the mixture and the coffee filter would filter them out. If you never make stock or anything that requires a large fine mesh strainer, which is a pretty expensive piece of equipment, a clean gold coffee filter works really well for about $15-20. They also make the best coffee and are great for straining yogurt, but those are topics for another post. The basic technique is the same for any flavored milk. Some examples are the coconut milk we're discussing; vanilla milk, made with vanilla beans; and almond milk, made with toasted almonds. You put your ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. If sugar is one of the ingredients, stir the mixture while it's heating until the sugar dissolves. Heat the milk mixture until it starts to bubble around the edges, but is not boiling. Turn off the heat and cover the pan. Let it steep for 10 minutes or so. Strain it through a fine mesh strainer. Some recipes call for cooling it to room temperature before you use it and some work with it while it's still hot. Anyway, making real coconut milk that 's also nonfat (or super low in fat, since there is none in the milk) is really easy and doesn't take very much time (as long as you can find raw, shredded or flaked coconut meat). Hope this helps you folks who enjoy Pacific Rim foods like I do. Lin |
Wow! Thanks for the great information. I'll pass it on to my personal chef (DH - lucky me!)
Flib |
coconut milk
In actual fact, coconut "milk" is the liquid extract of the seed pod itself. True coconut milk does not contain any dairy milk -- although you can flavor dairy milk w/ coconut to act as a substitute, but coconut milk is dairy free. Look on the label of any canned coco. product... you'll get a reasonable facsimile of coco. milk by flavoring skim or whole cow's milk but it's not true coco. milk.
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This is just what I was looking for - I have a new recipe for a great curry dish and didn't know what to do about the coconut milk, so I just avoided the whole thing. I will definately try this - I've been in the mood for something "spicy" for a while!! Thanks!
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Useful cooking information
U.S. Measurement Equivalents
A few grains/pinch/dash, etc. (dry) = Less than 1/8 tsp A dash (liquid) = A few drops 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon 1/2 tablespoon = 1-1/2 teaspoons 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons 2 tablespoons = 1 fluid ounce 4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup 5-1/3 tablespoons = 1/3 cup 8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup 8 tablespoons = 4 fluid ounces 10-2/3 tablespoons = 2/3 cup 12 tablespoons = 3/4 cup 16 tablespoons = 1 cup 16 tablespoons = 8 fluid ounces 1/8 cup = 2 tablespoons 1/4 cup = 4 tablespoons 1/4 cup = 2 fluid ounces 1/3 cup = 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon 1/2 cup = 8 tablespoons 1 cup = 16 tablespoons 1 cup = 8 fluid ounces 1 cup = 1/2 pint 2 cups = 1 pint 2 pints = 1 quart 4 quarts (liquid) = 1 gallon 8 quarts (dry) = 1 peck 4 pecks (dry) = 1 bushel 1 kilogram = approximately 2 pounds 1 liter = approximately 4 cups or 1 quar |
Approximate metric equivalents of U.S. weights
U.S. Metric 1/4 ounce = 7 grams 1/2 ounce = 14 grams 1 ounce = 28 grams 1 1/4 ounces = 35 grams 1 1/2 ounces = 40 grams 2 1/2 ounces = 70 grams 4 ounces = 112 grams 5 ounces = 140 grams 8 ounces = 228 grams 10 ounces = 280 grams 15 ounces = 425 grams 16 ounces (1 pound)= 454 grams Metric U.S. 1 gram = .035 ounce 50 grams =1.75 ounces 100 grams =3.5 ounces 250 grams =8.75 ounces 500 grams =1.75 pounds 1 kilogram =2.2 pounds Approximate Metric Equivalents by Volume: U.S. Metric 1/4 cup= 60 milliliters 1/2 cup = 120 milliliters 1 cup = 230 milliliters 1 1/4 cups =300 milliliters 1 1/2 cups =360 milliliters 2 cups = 460 milliliters 2 1/2 cups = 600 milliliters 3 cups= 700 milliliters 4 cups (1 quart)= .95 liter 1.06 quarts= 1 liter 4 quarts (1 gallon) =3.8 liters Metric U.S. 50 milliliters =.21 cup 100 milliliters = .42 cup 150 milliliters = .63 cup 200 milliliters = .84 cup 250 milliliters = 1.06 cups 1 liter =1.05 quarts |
Oven temperatures British and U.S.
Oven Temperatures: British and U.S.
Heat level ***Fahrenheit **Centigrade **British (Regulo) Gas Mark Very cool ******200 ********95 ******* 0 Very cool****** 225 ********110 ****** 1/4 Very cool ***** 250 *******120******** 1/2 Cool or slow *** 275********135******** 1 Cool or slow *** 300 *******150******** 2 Warm ********325 ********165 ******* 3 Moderate *****350 ********175 ******* 4 Moderately hot**375 ********190 ******* 5 Fairly hot *****400 *********200 ******* 6 Hot**********425*********220 ******* 7 Very Hot ******450*********230 ******* 8 Very Hot******475 *********245 ******* 9 |
British and U.S. cooking terms
British and U.S. Cooking Terms
British = U.S. aubergine = eggplant bangers = sausage beetroot =beet bilberry = blueberry biscuit = cracker or cookie broad bean = fava bean caster sugar = superfine granulated chips = french-fried potatoes (fries) cling film = plastic wrap collops = meatballs corn flour = corn starch cornish pasty = meat turnover courgette = zucchini cream, double = heavy cream cream, single = light cream crisps =potato chips dripping = fat from roasted meat finnan haddie = smoked haddock fish slice = spatula flour, maize = cornmeal flour, strong= bread flour; hard-wheat flour forcemeat = stuffing mixture for meat or fish french bean = green bean gammon =ham golden syrup = substitute light corn syrup groundnut = peanut hand of pork = pork shoulder roast heaped spoonful =heaping spoonful icing sugar = confectioners' sugar joint = large cut of meat with bone; roast marrow =zucchini-like squash mince (n.)= ground meat offal = variety meats (liver, heart, kidney) oxford sauce = cumberland sauce pie dish = deep baking dish pig's trotter = pig's foot pine kernels = pine nuts pips = seeds pluck (n.) = heart, liver, and lights (lungs) pudding = dessert sack = sweet sherry shandy = beer with lemonade silverside = beefcut from the rump stoned =seeded sultanas = golden raisins treacle = molasses tunny = tuna |
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