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Wednesday 9 April 2008

Vegetables in Coconut Milk

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This is one of my favourite recipes! It’s mild and has a nice fragrance and most of all, it’s quick and easy.

Most of the time, I just use a can of coconut milk. But this time I had quite a few pieces of fresh coconut meat and was thinking what to do with them. So, I thought of using them in this curry. The result was a curry with a lighter consistency so, I added some arrowroot powder to thicken the sauce. The canned coconut milk already contains a thickener, hence no need to use anything else.

Traditionally the coconut meat is crushed on, what we call in Mauritius, a “roche carri” which can be literally translated as a curry stone slab! It is infact a stone slab made of 2 parts – a flat rectangular block on which the ingredients are crushed and a stone rolling pin to crush with. Quite a great deal of strength and vigor is required to be able to crush coconut on a stone slab!

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Thank goodness for technology! I didn’t use a stone slab to crush these coconuts. I just used my electric blender! I pre-cut the coconut pieces into smaller pieces before putting them in the blender. Big pieces might jam and break the blender.

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If you are short of time or can’t find any fresh coconut meat, then just use a can of coconut milk but don’t add the arrowroot unless you still want a slightly thicker sauce!

So, here we go…


Ingredients (4 servings)

1 whole fresh coconut meat chopped to small pieces
400ml water
1 tablespoon arrowroot (or potato flour)
300g long green beans
1 large carrot
50g of frozen peas (or more if you like peas!)
1 can of red kidney beans
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon turmeric
Salt to taste
1 cotton cloth (for straining)


Prepare the coconut milk:

  • Place the chopped coconut pieces with the water in a blender. (If your blender is not large enough, do this in batches).
  • Grind until all the coconut pieces are very fine.
  • Strain this liquid by passing it through the cotton cloth. (The coconut residue can be later used to make coconut cookies or in other recipes).
  • You should obtain a little more than 500ml of pure coconut milk. Set aside (away from sight! It tastes so good, I almost drank it all!). Mix the arrowroot with the liquid.

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Prepare the veggies:

  • Cut the long beans approximately 3-4cm in length. You can do this quickly by cutting a few at once.

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  • Thinly slice the carrot about 3-4cm in length as well.

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  • In a non-stick pan on medium heat, pour the vegetable oil. Allow it to warm a little and then toss in all the vegetables, except the red kidney beans. Stir a few times and cover.
  • Stir occasionally until the vegetables are half cooked.
  • Remove from the pan and set aside.
  • In the same pan, pour some of the coconut milk (give it a stir before, as the arrowroot will sink to the bottom).
  • Sprinkle the turmeric and stir on medium heat.
  • Continually add the rest of the coconut milk, stirring constantly.
  • Allow the sauce to reduce and slightly thicken.
  • Put all the vegetables in the sauce as well as the red kidney beans and salt.
  • Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve with rice and coconut chutney* (optional).

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*Coconut chutney

¼ fresh coconut meat finely sliced
1 green apple
2-3 green chilies
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4-5 tablespoons water

Mix all ingredients in a blender until fine. Add more water if required.

4 comments:

  1. interesting blog, am sure my mom would love it! :D

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  2. Hello, nice recipe and it seems easy...for the coconut milk we can buy it in a supermarket i think ;p

    Have a nice day.

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  3. I just love veggies cooked in coconut milk, with steamed rice it's real wholesome comfort food. I would have never thought of whipping up a coconut chutney, though, so will definitely give that a go - it sounds delicious!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you all for your comments!

    anonymous: thanks!

    la pingouine: yes, coconut milk is available in supermarkets, I just had a few fresh pieces. I usually just use a can. :)

    DJ: coconut chutneys are indeed one of my favourite chutneys. They are so versatile and can go with a number of meals or snacks!

    ReplyDelete

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