Читать книгу Indian Cooking For Dummies - Monisha Bharadwaj - Страница 73

Many kitchens in southern and western India begin with the cracking open of a coconut to be used in the day’s cooking, either shredded or made into milk. You don’t need to do that, though, because coconut milk is so readily available in cans and cartons.

Read the ingredients and choose a brand that has at least 50 percent coconut extract, better if it’s higher. The rest will be water and stabilizers.

Partly used cans of milk can be decanted into tubs and frozen for later use.

I prefer to buy the full-fat version rather than the reduced-fat or “light” ones, which I find don’t give the consistency and richness needed for an Indian curry.

If you just need a small amount of coconut milk, don’t bother opening a tin. I just use coconut powder or creamed coconut, both of which are available in Indian grocery shops. Mix 3 tablespoons coconut powder or creamed coconut (or more, depending on how thick you want the milk to be) with 1 cup warm water; whisk until smooth.