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Savoury and sweet cooking with coconut

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Coconut is a versatile ingredient that can add special flavour and texture in both savoury and sweet dishes. From creamy curries to delicious desserts, coconut can do it all. In this blog post, we share seven recipes that show how versatile and tasty cooking with coconut can be.

Savoury with coconut

Coconut curry with chicken

Ingredients
  • 500g chicken breast, diced
  • 1 can of coconut milk (400ml)
  • 2 tablespoons red curry paste
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 piece of ginger (2 cm), grated
  • 1 red pepper, in strips
  • 1 courgette, in halves
  • 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
  • Fresh coriander, chopped
  • Rice, for side

Instructions
  1. Heat some oil in a large pan and fry the onion, garlic and ginger.
  2. Add the red curry paste and fry for a minute.
  3. Add the chicken cubes and fry until golden brown.
  4. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to the boil.
  5. Add the pepper and courgette and simmer for 15 minutes.
  6. Season with fish sauce and garnish with fresh coriander. Serve with rice.

Coconut rice

Ingredients
  • 300g basmati rice
  • 1 can of coconut milk (400ml)
  • 400ml water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons grated coconut, toasted

Instructions
  1. Rinse the rice under cold water.
  2. Put the rice, coconut milk, water and salt in a pan and bring to the boil.
  3. Simmer the rice for 15-20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.
  4. Stir in the toasted coconut for extra flavour and texture.

Soup with coconut and prawns

Ingredients
  • 500g prawns, peeled and cleaned
  • 1 can of coconut milk (400ml)
  • 500ml fish bouillon
  • 1 lemongrass stalk, bruised
  • 3 kaffir lime leaves
  • 2 tablespoons of fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar
  • 1 red chilli, finely chopped
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Fresh coriander, chopped

Instructions
  1. Bring the coconut milk and fish stock to the boil in a large saucepan.
  2. Add the lemongrass, lime leaves, fish sauce and sugar.
  3. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, then add the prawns.
  4. Cook for another 5 minutes, until the prawns are cooked.
  5. Remove the lemongrass and lime leaves. Add the chilli and lime juice.
  6. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve immediately.

Sweet with coconut

Coconut pancakes

Ingredients
  • 150g flour
  • 50g grated coconut
  • 2 tablespoons of sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 400ml coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions
  1. Mix flour, grated coconut, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
  2. Whisk together the egg, coconut milk and melted butter.
  3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix to a smooth batter.
  4. Heat a frying pan and fry small pancakes on both sides until golden brown.
  5. Serve with fresh fruit and maple syrup.

Chocolate truffles with coconut

Ingredients
  • 200g dark chocolate, finely chopped
  • 150ml coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 50g grated coconut

Instructions
  1. Melt the chocolate au bain-marie.
  2. Add the coconut milk and coconut oil and stir until smooth.
  3. Let the mixture cool and put it in the fridge for a few hours to stiffen.
  4. Form small balls of the mixture and roll them through the grated coconut.
  5. Store in the fridge until serving.

Coconut-lime pie

Ingredients
  • 200g digestive biscuits, crumbled
  • 100g melted butter
  • 400ml coconut milk
  • 100g sugar
  • Juice and rasp of 2 limes
  • 3 eggs
  • 50g grated coconut

Instructions
  1. Mix the biscuit crumbs with the melted butter and press into a cake tin.
  2. Bake for 10 minutes at 180°C and leave to cool.
  3. Beat the eggs with the sugar, coconut milk, lime juice and zest.
  4. Pour the mixture onto the cake base and sprinkle the grated coconut on top.
  5. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes until firm and light golden brown.
  6. Leave to cool before cutting.

Coconut ice cream

Ingredients
  • 400ml coconut milk
  • 200ml whipped cream
  • 100g sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 50g grated coconut, toasted

Instructions
  1. Mix coconut milk, whipping cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl.
  2. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
  3. Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and follow the machine’s instructions.
  4. Add the toasted coconut when the ice cream is almost ready.
  5. Put the ice cream in the freezer to stiffen further.

Coconut is a fantastic ingredient that can enrich both sweet and savoury cooking with its unique flavour. Try these recipes and discover the versatility of cooking with coconut! Interested in cooking with cinnamon? We are here to help!