Mmmm coconut milk! I love coconut milk. I love drinking coconut milk AND I love using it in creamy curry sauces. What I don’t love are the additives (thickeners and preservatives) and the fact that many of them come in a can. Call me fussy (I’ve been called much worse), but I’m not super crazy about consuming crap!
Coconut milk can be bought in 3 forms:
- in a shelf stable tetra pack (like this one)
Ingredients: Organic Coconut Milk (Water, Organic Coconut Cream),Calcium Phosphate, Magnesium Phosphate, Carrageenan, Guar Gum, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D2, L-selenomethionine (Selenium), Zinc Oxide, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12
Libby’s 2 cents: This product contains synthetic vitamins and thickeners. Read more on carrageenan and all its implications.
- in a can (like this one)
Ingredients: Certified Organic Coconut Milk (organic coconut, water, organic guar gum)
Libby’s 2 cents: Although this product contains fewer ingredients than the previous one, it does still contain a thickener (guar gum) plus the added non bonus of being in a can. Some cans do claim to be BPA free but that doesn’t mean they are safe. The cans are still lined with other substances and canned food has been known to leach aluminum.
- in a refrigerated carton (like this one)
Ingredients: Coconut milk (Filtered Water, Coconut Cream), Cane Sugar, Natural Flavor, Carrageenan, Yam Flour
Libby’s 2 cents: I’m not a fan of ‘natural flavor’. Manufacturuers get away with hiding many things behind this seemingly harmless listing. As I may have mentioned once or twice, I’m also not a fan of carrageenan. 🙂
Make your own delicious coconut milk. I’ll show you 2 ways: 1 for drinking, and a thicker one for cooking.
DIY Coconut Milk: Option 1 (for drinking)
2014-03-21 17:59:09
Coconut milk makes a nice dairy alternative and is delicious as a smoothie base.
Option 1
- 3 1/2 cups of filtered water (boiled)
- 2 cups of shredded coconut
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Add ingredients to high powered blender.
- Twirl around for a few minutes until nice and creamy.
- Strain through a cheese cloth, nut bag etc...
- Pour liquid into a glass container and store in fridge for 3-4 days.
- Toss remaining coconut in dehydrator. Dehydrate overnight and pulverize in blender to make your own coconut flour.
Eat. Play. Love... More https://eatplaylovemore.com/
DIY Coconut Milk: Option 2 (for cooking)
2014-03-21 18:04:02
This is a super easy way to make creamy coconut milk for sauces and curries without a can or thickeners.
Ingredients
- 1 pack of coconut cream (I use this one)
- 5 tbsp hot water
Instructions
- Squeeze coconut cream into glass bowl.
- Add hot water and stir. Voila!
- *If you prefer a smoother milk, you can strain it through a nut bag.
Eat. Play. Love... More https://eatplaylovemore.com/
