What is coconut milk?
In Italy, coconut milk is generally used as a secondary ingredient for the preparation of desserts or as a substitute for cream to make sauces, accompanying sauces and sweet creams. Coconut milk is a very popular ingredient in Malaysia, India, the Philippines, Thailand and many other countries in Southeast Asia.
Features
Coconut milk should not be confused with the water of the same name: while in fact milk is extracted by squeezing the pulp, the coconut water represents the semi-transparent liquid enclosed inside the nut.
Similar to cow's milk only in appearance and consistency, coconut milk does not contain traces of lactose, which makes it suitable for those sensitive to this sugar. Furthermore, being completely vegetable, coconut milk is included in the list of foods allowed in the diet of strict vegetarians (vegans).
Another advantage of coconut milk is the absence of cow's milk proteins (eg caseins), to which many people are intolerant or sensitive.
Similar to other types of vegetable milk (soy milk, rice milk, oat milk, almond milk, kamut milk), coconut milk does not contain cholesterol, which is omnipresent in animal-derived milks.
Despite the plant origin and the absence of cholesterol, coconut milk is very nutritious, provides many calories and is rich in saturated fat.
Nutritional properties
Not all coconut milks are the same: they mostly differ in the percentage of fat present, ranging from 5-7% ("lean" coconut milk), to 20-22% ("fat" coconut milk). In general, coconut milk must be consumed in moderation due to the high quantity in terms of fat.
Specifically, coconut milk is rich in medium chain fatty acids, including lauric acid. Although it is a saturated fatty acid, lauric acid does not affect plasma lipids (unlike some long-chain fatty acids such as palmitic and myristic). Furthermore, it has been shown that the coconut milk's lauric acid contributes to raising HDL good cholesterol levels, thus exerting a preventive effect on cardiovascular risk. In other words, coconut milk is potentially attributed to the development of diseases affecting the heart and vessels.
However, the above does not mean that the coconut milk can be consumed with recklessness: just think that 100 ml of coconut milk provide 197 Kcal.
Coconut milk provides a fair amount in terms of fiber (2.13g / 100g of product): in this regard, this vegetable drink contributes to increasing the perception of satiety, keeping the appetite in check. Not surprisingly, coconut milk is in some ways considered a sort of hunger regulator .
Below are the indicative nutritional values referred to 100 g of commercial coconut milk (20-22% fat).
Edible part | 100 g |
water | 72.88 g |
Carbohydrates | 2.81 g |
TOT fats
| 21.3 g
|
Protein | 2.2 g |
C vitamin | 1 mg |
Football | 18 mg |
Iron | 3.3 mg |
Magnesium | 46 mg |
Phosphorus | 96 mg |
Potassium | 220 mg |
Sodium | 13 mg |
Zinc | 0.6 mg |
- Nutritional analysis from USDA Nutrient Database
Homemade preparation
We have said that coconut milk is obtained by squeezing its grated pulp. To prepare it at home, proceed in several steps, summarized below:
- Removing coconut water by drilling the nut
- Coconut break with hammer
- The pulp has a hard and woody peel
- Pulp washing and eventual removal of the endocarp (smooth and brown part, however edible, which surrounds the white pulp)
- Scraping the pulp with a grater
- Extraction of milk from coconut pulp: the grated pulp is blended with very hot (but not hot) water. The proportions to be respected for preparing coconut milk are: 1 part of grated coconut and 2 parts of hot water. Everything is left to macerate for about ten minutes to allow the water to extract the nutrients. The mixture is then filtered through a clean cloth, in turn placed over a colander and a bowl. The liquid that drips from the cloth is then collected and allowed to cool in plastic or glass bottles. Homemade coconut milk should be kept in the fridge and consumed in a few days.
Once refrigerated, the coconut milk undergoes a natural phase separation: the coconut "panna" (ie the fat part) tends to rise, while the watery part remains on the bottom of the container. In this regard, coconut milk must be shaken before consumption.
It is difficult to establish the exact amount of fat present in homemade coconut milk: the fats can in fact vary according to the amount of water (solvent) that is used to extract the nutrients. Generally, it is estimated that the amount of fat present in self-produced coconut milk varies between 17 and 24%.
Homemade Coconut Milk - Video Recipe
Homemade Coconut Milk
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In recent years, interest in coconut milk has grown, so much so that it has also involved extraculinary spheres. In cosmetics, for example, coconut milk is used to formulate moisturizing and emollient creams designed to counteract skin dryness. When emulsified with a part of olive oil, coconut milk can be a useful home remedy to remove makeup in a gentle and natural way. The same milk extracted from the coconut pulp can be useful for the preparation of do-it-yourself hair masks: fat naturally presents nourishes the hair in depth and makes it softer and silky. The coconut milk mask should be distributed over the hair and left to act for 15 minutes: after that, the hair should be rinsed and washed with shampoo.
Being rich in lauric acid, coconut milk can be considered a sort of natural antiseptic: this medium chain fatty acid, in fact, seems to exert a (bland) antibacterial and antiviral action.
Due to its emollient and calming properties, coconut milk is also considered a good natural remedy against sunburn: it is sufficient to apply a thin layer of coconut milk in the whole scalded area to reduce the burning and stinging sensation typical of sunburns .
