coconut milk/cream

I think coconut cream is a very sweetened version of coconut milk, so
its more like comparing evaporated milk in a can to sweetened condensed
milk. Only time I've used the coconut cream was for a pie, and I think
its also used to make mixed drinks. I think you would definately want
to dilute the cream.

elaine said:

I'm making thai pork for supper. Actually, I'm adapting a recipe for thai
chicken and using pork instead. The marinade (for chicken) calls for ginger,
garlic, thai curry paste, lemon zest, vegetable oil - I added some brown
sugar and soy sauce. I brown the pork then add a can of coconut milk.

But my question: I picked up coconut cream by mistake - would that be like
using 35% cream instead of milk. Should I water down the cream and just use
half?

Check the ingredients on the label. Some sites indicated that coconut milk and
coconut cream are the same, but others indicated they are different, with
coconut cream being a sweetened version of coconut milk that is intended for
desserts. However, it just might work with a pork dish since pork can sometimes
handle sweetness, and you might use a little extra lime juice to balance it.

"Dave Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

elaine said:

I'm making thai pork for supper. Actually, I'm adapting a recipe for

thai

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

chicken and using pork instead. The marinade (for chicken) calls for

ginger,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

garlic, thai curry paste, lemon zest, vegetable oil - I added some brown
sugar and soy sauce. I brown the pork then add a can of coconut milk.

But my question: I picked up coconut cream by mistake - would that be

like

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

using 35% cream instead of milk. Should I water down the cream and just

use

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

half?

Check the ingredients on the label. Some sites indicated that coconut milk

and

Quoted message said:

coconut cream are the same, but others indicated they are different, with
coconut cream being a sweetened version of coconut milk that is intended

for

Quoted message said:

desserts. However, it just might work with a pork dish since pork can

sometimes

Quoted message said:

handle sweetness, and you might use a little extra lime juice to balance

it.

About 58% coconut milk . Damn - I've never, ever cooked with coconut, milk
(or cream) - This is my first time. And I would never use evaporated milk
in a recipe (chowders yes).

Think I'll use half the can; taste and if necessary add water & lime
juice........... perhaps it will be wonderful!

Thanks......

"Dave Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

elaine said:

I'm making thai pork for supper. Actually, I'm adapting a recipe for

thai

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

chicken and using pork instead. The marinade (for chicken) calls for

ginger,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

garlic, thai curry paste, lemon zest, vegetable oil - I added some brown
sugar and soy sauce. I brown the pork then add a can of coconut milk.

But my question: I picked up coconut cream by mistake - would that be

like

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

using 35% cream instead of milk. Should I water down the cream and just

use

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

half?

Check the ingredients on the label. Some sites indicated that coconut milk

and

Quoted message said:

coconut cream are the same, but others indicated they are different, with
coconut cream being a sweetened version of coconut milk that is intended

for

Quoted message said:

desserts. However, it just might work with a pork dish since pork can

sometimes

Quoted message said:

handle sweetness, and you might use a little extra lime juice to balance

it.

About 58% coconut milk . Damn - I've never, ever cooked with coconut, milk
(or cream) - This is my first time. And I would never use evaporated milk
in a recipe (chowders yes).

Think I'll use half the can; taste and if necessary add water & lime
juice........... perhaps it will be wonderful!

Thanks......

elaine said:

About 58% coconut milk . Damn - I've never, ever cooked with coconut, milk
(or cream) - This is my first time. And I would never use evaporated milk
in a recipe (chowders yes).

Think I'll use half the can; taste and if necessary add water & lime
juice........... perhaps it will be wonderful!

Coconut milk is great stuff to cook with. One sort of Thai dish that I do
occasionally uses it. You put some oil in a pan, add a spoonful of curry paste,
stir it around, toss in some chopped onion, then throw in some diced chicken
(seasoned with salt beforehand), then red pepper strips. Then add a small can of
coconut milk and a spoonful of fish sauce. Serve in rice.

"Dave Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

elaine said:

About 58% coconut milk . Damn - I've never, ever cooked with coconut,

milk

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

(or cream) - This is my first time. And I would never use evaporated

milk

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

in a recipe (chowders yes).

Think I'll use half the can; taste and if necessary add water & lime
juice........... perhaps it will be wonderful!

Coconut milk is great stuff to cook with. One sort of Thai dish that I do
occasionally uses it. You put some oil in a pan, add a spoonful of curry

paste,

Quoted message said:

stir it around, toss in some chopped onion, then throw in some diced

chicken

Quoted message said:

(seasoned with salt beforehand), then red pepper strips. Then add a small

can of

Quoted message said:

coconut milk and a spoonful of fish sauce. Serve in rice.

Well I wimped out and went to the store for coconut milk. It wasn't sweet
at all.

And with the basmati rice (peas added at the end) what a great meal. Much
the same as the above - but with pork marinated in garlic, curry paste,
ginger ,soya and lemon zest.

It was really good .

"elaine" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm making thai pork for supper. Actually, I'm adapting a recipe for thai
chicken and using pork instead. The marinade (for chicken) calls for
ginger,
garlic, thai curry paste, lemon zest, vegetable oil - I added some brown
sugar and soy sauce. I brown the pork then add a can of coconut milk.

But my question: I picked up coconut cream by mistake - would that be
like
using 35% cream instead of milk. Should I water down the cream and just
use
half?

Elaine

Here is the difference.

1 to 1 or 4 to 1.

From Epicurious:

Dimitri

Coconut milk is made by combining equal parts water and shredded fresh or
desiccated coconut meat and simmering until foamy. The mixture is then
strained through CHEESECLOTH, squeezing as much of the liquid as possible
from the coconut meat. The coconut meat can be combined with water again for
a second, diluted batch of coconut milk. Coconut cream is made in the same
manner, but enriches the mix by using 1 part water to 4 parts coconut. Milk
can be substituted for water for an even richer result. Discard the coconut
meat after making these mixtures. Coconut milk and cream also come canned
and may sometimes be found frozen in Asian markets and some supermarkets. Do
not confuse sweetened "cream of coconut" - used mainly for desserts and
mixed drinks - with unsweetened coconut milk or cream.

elaine said:

But my question: I picked up coconut cream by mistake - would that be like
using 35% cream instead of milk. Should I water down the cream and just use
half?

Coconut milk is not the liquid inside a whole coconut that saves the
shipwrecked survivor on the deserted island. Coconut milk is a liquid
extracted from shredded coconut pulp. And, just like raw milk, the
uprocessed juice extracted from a moo cow, it has a fatty cream that rises
to the top.

The two Thai brands I use, Chaokoh and Mae Ploy, are very high in coconut
cream. I'd say Chaokoh is as high as 1/2 to 2/3rds cream. When I open a
can of Chaokoh, the cream has usually separated from the liquid and forms a
paste, about the consistancy of a newly opened container of sour cream. The
remaining liquid on the bottom is a watery grayish juice. Some recipes call
for just cream. But, for most Thai recipes it's usually assumed to use all
the juice/cream together.

It's possible to buy straight coconut cream. All expamples I've purchased
are frozen, not canned. Coconut cream is prized in Thai cooking and you're
better off with more cream and less juice than the other way around. As you
suggest, you can always add water. Your best bet is to stick with Thai
brands for Thai cooking. Chinese brands also have less cream.

Here's some info on Thai coconut milk and other Thai ingredients. I'm still
using Chaokoh brand, but my last case was purchased some time ago and I
haven't run into the problem Kasma warns against here:

http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/brands.html

As an added note, also avoid the coconut creams like Coco Lopez which are
meant for bar use (cocktails). I'm not sure what all they include, but I do
know one ingredient is propylene glycol, distant cousin to anti-freeze.

I hope you dish turns out great,
nb

elaine said:

I'm making thai pork for supper. Actually, I'm adapting a recipe for thai
chicken and using pork instead. The marinade (for chicken) calls for ginger,
garlic, thai curry paste, lemon zest, vegetable oil - I added some brown
sugar and soy sauce. I brown the pork then add a can of coconut milk.

But my question: I picked up coconut cream by mistake - would that be like
using 35% cream instead of milk. Should I water down the cream and just use
half?

Elaine

Coconut milk is like regular milk in texture and unsweetened
for use in savory recipes.

Coconut cream is comparable to sweetened condensed milk
and is used for things like Pina Coladas and sweet desserts.
The texture is very thick and waxy.

gloria p

Puester said:

Coconut milk is like regular milk in texture and unsweetened
for use in savory recipes.

It is? The coconut milk that I get (in cans) is white and a little thicker
consistency than milk, but there is usually a bunch of sediment in the bottom of
the can that has to be mixed up with the liquid, making the texture more like
thick cream.

"elaine" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I'm making thai pork for supper. Actually, I'm adapting a recipe for
thai chicken and using pork instead. The marinade (for chicken) calls
for ginger, garlic, thai curry paste, lemon zest, vegetable oil - I
added some brown sugar and soy sauce. I brown the pork then add a
can of coconut milk.

But my question: I picked up coconut cream by mistake - would that be
like using 35% cream instead of milk. Should I water down the cream
and just use half?

Elaine

Elaine,

I make a thai chicken satay that uses the coconut cream as baste coating
during grilling, not as part of the marinade (as many other recipes call
for).

It calls for a can of coconut milk to be poured into a tall glass to rest
for an hour until the cream and milk separated. The cream is then
collected and the milk thrown out.

Good luck,

Andy

--
"Ladies and gentlemen, The Beatles!"
- Ed Sullivan (1964)

P.S. Here's a URL for the thai chicken satay recipe I use:

http://www.grilling-recipes.com/chicken/r1967.htm

Andy said:

Elaine,

I make a thai chicken satay that uses the coconut cream as baste coating
during grilling, not as part of the marinade (as many other recipes call
for).

It calls for a can of coconut milk to be poured into a tall glass to rest
for an hour until the cream and milk separated. The cream is then
collected and the milk thrown out.

Good luck,

Andy

--
"Ladies and gentlemen, The Beatles!"
- Ed Sullivan (1964)

P.S. Here's a URL for the thai chicken satay recipe I use:

http://www.grilling-recipes.com/chicken/r1967.htm

Well, as has been suggested, the OP needs to look at the
ingredients. There is coconut cream as you say, and there is
coconut cream that is heavily sweetened and used in drinks and
desserts......... I don't recall seeing the former in a can, but
my memory is not good.
--
Jean B.

"Thai Kitchen" makes the c-cream that is not heavily sweetened, and you
should not have to let it set to seperate.

"Jean B." <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Andy said:

Elaine,

I make a thai chicken satay that uses the coconut cream as baste coating
during grilling, not as part of the marinade (as many other recipes call
for).

It calls for a can of coconut milk to be poured into a tall glass to rest
for an hour until the cream and milk separated. The cream is then
collected and the milk thrown out.

Good luck,

Andy

--
"Ladies and gentlemen, The Beatles!"
- Ed Sullivan (1964)

P.S. Here's a URL for the thai chicken satay recipe I use:

http://www.grilling-recipes.com/chicken/r1967.htm

Well, as has been suggested, the OP needs to look at the
ingredients. There is coconut cream as you say, and there is
coconut cream that is heavily sweetened and used in drinks and
desserts......... I don't recall seeing the former in a can, but
my memory is not good.
--
Jean B.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

elaine said:

I'm making thai pork for supper. Actually, I'm adapting a recipe for thai
chicken and using pork instead. The marinade (for chicken) calls for ginger,
garlic, thai curry paste, lemon zest, vegetable oil - I added some brown
sugar and soy sauce. I brown the pork then add a can of coconut milk.

But my question: I picked up coconut cream by mistake - would that be like
using 35% cream instead of milk. Should I water down the cream and just use
half?

Not necessarily -- see data below! [Best viewed with fixed font.]

Quoted message said:

Coconut milk is like regular milk in texture and unsweetened
for use in savory recipes.

Sort of. But coconut cream is also used in cooking -- and I wouldn't
say "savory" as both are commonly included in standard curries around
here. (But perhaps even a common curry = savory to you?)

Quoted message said:

Coconut cream is comparable to sweetened condensed milk
and is used for things like Pina Coladas and sweet desserts.
The texture is very thick and waxy.

Nope. Different stuff altogether -- e.g. see response from Dimitri.

Curiosity got the better of me so I dragged a few tins out of the
cupboard -- and got quite a surprise in the detail!

Composition(*a) of coconut milks, creams, and powders:

Brand "Product of" Type Protein(g) Fat(g) Sugars(g)

Ayam Malaysia Milk 2.5 26.4 <1
Cream 2.4 32.4 1.7

Coles Thailand Cream(*b) 1.7 14.6 <1

Maggi Sri Lanka Powder(*c) 6.8 61.9 8.3

*Notes:
(a) Composition given as g/100g (g/100ml for Coles Farmland)

(b) The Coles Farmland "Cream" has less fat than the Ayam Milk!
(Indeed about the same as Ayam "Lite".)

(c) To make one cup (250ml) of liquid from spray dried powder:
Milk - 220ml warm water + 1/2 cup (55g) powder.
Cream - 180ml warm water + 3/4 cup (85g) powder.
[Note: You can also use powder direct in recipes.]

Cheers, Phred.

--
[email hidden]