Description of coconut milk, calorie content and chemical composition. Benefits and harms, restriction to use. Recipes for food and drinks with this product, cooking features. Important! Vegetable proteins found in coconut milk are much easier for the body to absorb than the same substances from animal products.
Health Benefits of Coconut Milk
Copra drink should not be regarded as a medicine and used to treat diseases. However, the residents of tropical countries have long noticed the benefits of coconut milk and often replace cow milk with it, not only to change the taste of familiar dishes, but also to maintain efficiency.
Action on the body:
- It speeds up metabolism and helps to get rid of constipation, since dietary fiber is present in the composition. Can be used to cleanse the intestines.
- Restores the balance of intestinal microflora.
- Increases immunity, has antimicrobial, in particular antibacterial, activity.
- Prevents the development of cardiovascular diseases, does not create a load on blood vessels, since there is no harmful cholesterol in the drink.
- Normalizes blood pressure.
- Thins the blood, has anticoagulant properties.
- Reduces the likelihood of developing cancer, stops cell aging, isolates free radicals that travel through the bloodstream.
- Normalizes blood sugar levels.
- Improves the condition in inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary system.
- Has a tonic effect.
- Helps to calm down with neuroses, promotes rapid falling asleep.
- Stimulates the production of red blood cells - erythrocytes.
- Prevents the development of allergic reactions.
- Improves the quality of skin, nails and teeth, strengthens bone tissue.
- Prolongs the life cycle of hepatocytes - liver cells, accelerates recovery after intoxication of all types, including alcohol.
- Helps cope with hangovers.
Note! You should not give up coconut milk if you need to constantly monitor your own weight. You can't drink a lot - saturation quickly sets in. The supply of nutrients in the body is replenished, and the "extra" kilograms do not "stick".
Contraindications and harm of coconut milk
Since a product from the tropics is exotic for people living in temperate climates, a high risk of allergy must be taken into account. In addition, the beverage from the bottle or pack contains preservatives and flavorings. Therefore, you should not introduce the new taste to children under 5 years old, pregnant and lactating. Coconut milk intolerance can occur if a history of:
- Fructose intolerance;
- Colitis, enterocolitis and other diseases of the digestive tract and organs that cause diarrhea;
- Violation of the blood supply to internal organs;
- Hypotension.
If after the first acquaintance with a new product you feel dizziness, weakness or nausea, enterosorbents should be taken. It is possible to reduce the harm from coconut milk by preparing it yourself. In this case, not only the effect on the body is controlled, but also the sweetness and nutritional value.
How to make coconut milk?
Before you think about what to cook, you need to make a drink (if there was no opportunity to buy it). As mentioned, there are no preservatives or flavors in homemade coconut milk, so the likelihood of developing an allergic reaction is reduced.
Cooking principle: grind copra, add water or milky juice, let stand for 2-5 hours, then strain.
If it is not possible to get the whole fruit, milk is whipped from unsweetened coconut flakes or crushed copra - they are sold more often. In this case, the proportions of raw materials and boiling water are 1 to 1, 5 or 1 to 2. Pour dried shavings or dehydrated crushed coconut into a blender, pour in boiling water and mix well for 3-7 minutes. Then the drink is filtered through cheesecloth.
The shelf life of coconut milk at home is up to 48 hours. If you plan to use it later, it is better to freeze the product. When fresh copra from a whole nut is used as an ingredient, grated pulp with milky juice is interrupted in a blender and only then brought to the desired consistency, diluted with boiling water. From a whole nut, 1-1.5 cups of drink are obtained.
Coconut Milk Food and Drink Recipes
Residents of tropical countries are so accustomed to the herbal drink that they cook on it all the dishes for which Europeans use animal milk: cereals, desserts, sauces for hot dishes, alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails.
Less commonly, coconut milk is used as a substitute for cow's milk, in its pure form, and there is a reason for this. The norm is to consume 1 glass per week in its pure form, no more, in several portions. An exception is made for children suffering from anemia: the weekly portion can be doubled. There are no restrictions on use as an ingredient in recipes.
Delicious Coconut Milk Recipes:
- Thai soup … A tablespoon of refined sunflower oil is poured into a deep saucepan and heated. Lay the chopped stalk of lemongrass, a tablespoon of curry, 2 tablespoons of fresh grated ginger, pour in a liter of chicken broth and, stirring, bring to a boil. After a minute, add 3 tablespoons of fish sauce (a European can do without this ingredient), a tablespoon of cane sugar, 1 liter of coconut milk and 200 g of shiitake. Boil until the mushrooms are cooked (5-7 minutes). Then the shrimp is lowered, after pulling out the esophagus. When they are cooked, turn off. Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.
- Stewed eggplant … Cut 2-3 eggplants into cubes, after removing the peel. Finely cut: red bell pepper, a bunch of green onions and mint. Eggplants are fried in a deep frying pan and spread on a paper towel to get rid of excess oil. While the oil is absorbed, chopped greens and peppers are fried for 3 minutes. Pour in a glass of coconut milk, bring to a boil, add eggplants again. While they are brought to readiness, add some salt and pepper. Served with rice noodles.
- Coconut rice with peas … Heat the oil and fry the brisket, cut into small cubes. When the meat is browned, put the chopped onion, half a chili pepper without seeds, 2 cloves of crushed garlic and 2 Balkar peppers in strips into the pan. Pour in a glass of rice, half a glass of pre-soaked peas (or beans), pour in a glass of coconut milk. Cook until rice and beans are tender. Once this happens, add 4 transferred tomatoes and leave on the fire for another 10 minutes. Salt, pepper, add seasonings to taste. Sprinkle with thyme before serving.
- Lemon Corn Cake … Separate the yolks and whites of 5 eggs. Beat the yolks with half a glass of sugar. Whisk the whites in a meringue with 150 g of sugar, but do not bring them to the peaks. Combine 2 parts of the dough, add 2 tablespoons of corn flour and coconut, a tablespoon of baking powder. The dough is baked at 180 ° C for 20 minutes. While the biscuit is being prepared, custard is made. Put in a blender bowl: corn flour - 80 g, 2 eggs, zest of two lemons, 150 g of sugar, juice of 1 lemon, 2 cups of boiling water. The finished biscuit is cut in half, soaked in coconut milk. The layers are coated with cream.
Coconut Milk Drinks:
- Eggnog … In a blender, beat a glass of rum and coconut milk, 2 egg yolks, 50 g of condensed milk. Pour into glasses, sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Melon smoothie … Melon pieces, 400 g, are poured into a blender. Place 2 pears with removed seeds there and pour in a glass of coconut milk.
- Milkshake … Juice is squeezed out of 8-10 strawberries, poured into a blender, laid out a banana, half a glass of coconut milk is poured. Beat, pour into a glass with ice. Decorated with coconut flakes.
When choosing ready-made coconut milk, you should pay attention to the fat content and the amount of ingredients. For baking, desserts and soups, a low-calorie product is used; for stewing, you can buy fatter. The ideal amount of ingredients is copra and water, a minimum of preservatives.
Interesting facts about coconut milk
When making a drink at home, they try to maintain sterility. The pulp is gently scraped off with a clean spoon or cut with a sharp knife with a thin blade, rubbing on a grater. Pour boiling water over, filter through sterile gauze.
Local residents do not think about sterility. Small private businesses have a pulp scraping machine, similar to a citrus juicer, a metal sieve and a separator. Coconuts are smashed over the basin with a sharp blow with a machete, without peeling or washing the peel from external contamination. Then the halves of the fruit are placed on the rod, scraped out with a foot drive above the pallet. Fill the separator with crushed copra and milky juice, add water from a hose, press the button. Milk is packaged in durable cellophane bags. When purchasing such a product on the market, you do not need to try to quench your thirst to a boil. At best, you get an upset stomach, at worst, an infectious disease.
But as an ingredient for home cosmetics, such coconut milk is invaluable. According to legend, the Queen of Sheba herself was the first to note the beneficial effect of the product on the body and hair.
Effect on the skin:
- Softens and nourishes;
- Protects against the adverse effects of ultraviolet radiation;
- Protects against age-related changes, stops the formation of fine wrinkles;
- Accelerates the regeneration of the skin after acne and furunculosis;
- Evens out the skin relief.
Regular application of coconut milk to the hair growth zone helps to restore the functioning of the follicles, eliminates irritation. For those with oily hair, it is recommended to treat the strands to eliminate stickiness and grease. For dry curls, it is enough to rub into the scalp.
An excellent lamination recipe to always look irresistible: mix 4 tablespoons of coconut milk, 1, 5 - potato starch, the juice of half a large lemon, heat, stirring, without boiling until you get a creamy homogeneous consistency. Then it is applied to the strands like paint, insulated, as when dyeing. Wash off after 1-1, 5 hours with regular shampoo. There is another way to use coconut milk. If you wipe your leather shoes or clothes with it, you don't have to worry about cracking.
How to make coconut milk - watch the video:
Do not miss the opportunity to taste the drink. Coconut flakes or shredded hydrolyzed coconut are now available at any supermarket.
