Coconut Milk for Flavorful and Healthier Meals

I am not sure whether everyone is familiar with coconut milk, so I will define it so as to distinguish it from coconut juice/water. When you split open a coconut, you will find a virtually clear liquid inside; that is coconut juice/water. In East Africa, immature coconuts are often harvested for this drink. This fresh form is known as dafu (the Swahili term for an immature coconut). Alternatively, the immature coconut can be tapped, while still on the tree, or harvested and fermented to make mnazi (a traditional alcoholic drink).

Coconut milk is extracted from the white flesh in mature coconuts; this flesh is grated or pulped and squeezed to extract a milky liquid. While there are canned coconut milk products in many supermarkets, I do believe that the best way to maximize your experience with coconut milk is to prepare them fresh from a coconut; some canned products contain unhealthy and/or synthetic additives that could rob you of a great palate experience.

Coconut milk can be added to just about any meal, and there are many recipes that you can get that include coconut milk in its list of ingredients; In Mombasa, Kenya where i was raised, I have seen coconut milk used in in meat, fish, rice, beans, peas, and vegetables. I know from experience that coconut milk can turn an otherwise bland meal into a sizzling delicacy, with a very distinctive, alluring aroma.

More than imparting an unforgettable flavor, coconut milk can actually confer several health benefits; it is rich in vitamins C, E, and B, and elements such as phosphorous, calcium, potassium, iron and magnesium. Its providence of all these vitamins and elements means that is facilitates better biochemical processes, resulting in a healthier you. Furthermore, it also has lauric acid, which bolsters the body’s immune response. Coconut milk is also rich in anti-oxidants, which pick up free radicals in the body. Radicals are charged unstable substances that tend to pluck off electrons from body cells, thereby damaging otherwise healthy cells.

Coconut milk also contains fats, but these are saturated medium and short chain fatty acids; such fatty acids are broken down for energy with greater ease, and can consequently be considered good fats.

Sources:  healthy eating/ thehealthyhomeeconomist/

By Matengo Chwanya

Africa Global News Publication