Topic: What is Coconut Powder?

[emin-j]

Hi All , Just come back from the Indian Supermarket and I struggled to find any Coconut Powder , I found Coconut Flour and Dessicated Coconut but Couldn't find powder , ended up buying Coconut Milk Powder which was quite expensive  Coconut Powder is available from places like Spices Of India but is Coconut Flour the same thing 

[Razor]

Hi All , Just come back from the Indian Supermarket and I struggled to find any Coconut Powder , I found Coconut Flour and Dessicated Coconut but Couldn't find powder , ended up buying Coconut Milk Powder which was quite expensive  Coconut Powder is available from places like Spices Of India but is Coconut Flour the same thing 

Hi emin-j,

As far as I know, coconut flour is, coconut powder.  It's what I use in CTM.

Ray

[artistpaul]

Hi emin-j

Coconut flour is entirely a different animal to coconut powder.

The flour can be used to thicken curries and at the same time impart a coconut flavour to the dish BUT it does leave an element of graininess to the dish particularly if a lot of it is needed. It is ground / milled about 50% less than coconut milk during production

Coconut powder is exactly the same as coconut milk powder, if you add water to either it will turn to coconut milk, there is no difference in either just terminology.

Coconut powder I find is best for curries as it dissappears into the curry leaving no residual graininess to the texture no matter how much is used but imparting the coconut flavour as required.

However due to the cost of coconut powder, Im certain that BIRs use the flour, thats why Indian supermarkets carry the big catering sized coconut flour packs

Hope this helps

Paul

[Razor]

Hi ArtistPaul.

At the risk of getting into a debate, this is a quote from the "Authentic Balti Curry" ccokbook, which is by no means a "curry bible" btw

"Coconut powder (Note, this is not desiccated coconut, but a powder with a flour-like texture)"

The recipe that this quote is taken from also requires coconut milk, which if your analagy is correct, surely the recipe would call for coconut powder of which a quantity will be used to make coconut milk?

Ray

[artistpaul]

Hi Razor

No worries, no debate 

Ive read this type of confusion in other recipes too, and it is confusion on their part.

Whilst a recipe sometimes calls for the use of coconut milk and powder, the reason being is that just using the equivalent in milk only, might render a dish too thin and runny, so using part powder retains the desired consistency and achieves the degree of coconut flavour required

I lived in Thailand for some years and as Im sure you know Coconut milk is used extensively in Thai cuisine.

whilst the majority of Thais use canned coconut milk as its so cheap out there, coconut milk powder is also visibly widely available in their food stores too since its is not as weighty or as bulky as storing cans and a little cheaper too.
But Ive never seen coconut flour being either as visible in these stores in the main food sections, but rather it was usually found in the ' baking / desert section ' which is what most Thais use the flour for as well as dessicated coconut.

Cheers everyone

Paul

[commis]

Hi

Thanks for that artistpaul , you are true about confusion in recipes.

Regards

[Razor]

Hi Commis/Artistpaul

Yeah, that's where the confusion is for me then I guess.  If the recipe calls for "coconut milk powder" then I pressume that a quantity of liquid will be added to the dish to create, "coconut milk" within the dish?   If it just asks for coconut powder, I would still take it as coconut flour.  As far as using coconut flour as a thickener, In my experience, it doesn't really do the job, certainly not in the same way as using cornflour or a roux. 

I do agree with you artistpaul with regards to coconut flour adding a slightly grainy texture but again, this is a characteristic of a lot of bir korma's or CTM's.

Going back to commis's original querey, try either and stick with what you prefer lol ;D

Ray

[artistpaul]

Hi Ray Hi Commis

Thanks for that guys.

Yes if you want to do authentic BIR then as per my earlier post, use coconut flour as Im sure BIRS will not spend the big money on either coconut powder or for that matter milk either.

As I said earlier in the Indian supermarkets  there is always a lot of big bags of coconut flour on the shelves, no doubt bought by BIRs

Like you said Ray, try both and see what you prefer best & also bearing in mind the extra cost of using powder v flour

Cheers guys, have a good weekend all

Paul

[Curry Barking Mad]

Just to add to the confusion,

One man's powder is another man's flour,

This is what I have seen in several BIRs,



This stuff is coarser than flour but not as fine as dessicated,

Mick

[emin-j]

AchMal , that is the one I was looking for but they didn't have so I ended up with Coconut Milk Powder , and although this evening I made my Daughter her usual Korma using Coconut Milk Powder ( 7 teaspoons in some warm water ) she said she couldn't taste much Coconut  I usually use creamed Coconut block with excellent results but I have read the amount of saturated fats in the Creamed block is worrying