Topic: What is Coconut Powder?

[PaulP]

SS,

The last korma I made was like this:

CHICKEN TIKKA KORMA

- Over medium-high heat add 3 tbs sugar and 4 tbs coconut powder to the pan
- Add 3 tbs of almond nut powder (or cashew nut powder)
- Add 200ml of Taz base.
- Add 200ml single cream
- Add pre-cooked chicken tikka
- Reduce down a little until the oil separates from the edges of the pan

The recipe is Josh's except I dropped the sugar from 4 to 3 from memory.

The consistency of the sauce was fine. But then again I don't like BIR kormas at all - I cooked it for somebody else.

Paul.

[Mikka1]

ArtistPaul.
You're ok man.  ;D This is what happens when you put scientists who don't have a Phd together 

Court is out for me since I only use coconut milk from an ordinary 'no brand' tin from the Indian food store an in any case I haven't cooked a Khorma so far.

This to me is just like the brand of tom paste people buy. Totally irrelevant to the final product, since it is about spice, quantity and personal taste.
I do agree on what you said about helping people. I think the times we live in play a part in that too.

Best regards.

[emin-j]

I use Maggi's coconut milk powder. It tastes good, it isn't grainy at all and it mixes well with water. The last korma I made using it was fine - not too thick at all.

This is the stuff:

http://www.spicesofindia.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh000001.pl?REFPAGE=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2espicesofindia%2eco%2euk%2f&WD=maggi&SHOP=%20&PN=Indian%2dFood%2dMaggi%2dCoconut%2dMilk%2dPowder%2ehtml%23aGRO011_2dp#aGRO011_2dp

Hi PaulP ,
             That's the same one as I bought from the Indian Supermarket , it was in a box 350 gms and cost ? 3.75.
I put just over 2 Tablespoons of powder into a little warm water then added to the Korma but this wasn't enough according to my Daughter who's the expert Korma taster  :

[Cory Ander]

I don't for one second believe that the BIRs use coconut (milk) powder as CA insists they do

I don't believe I've ever insisted on that SS.  I'm just saying what I use - mainly coconut milk powder.  I had just never heard of "coconut flour" until it was mentioned on this forum fairly recently.  I've never seen it in shops and I've never seen it mentioned in any recipes or in any recipe books.

I do use "fine grained" desiccated coconut, which I presume is similar to "coconut flour".  I often use this in roasted form.

but it thickens rapidly as well. Try putting one and a half heaped chef's spoons of that in your korma (12 TBSP), as I have witnessed three BIRs doing, and I reckon you'll be able to slice the korma it'll be that thick

If you're talking about coconut milk powder here, it doesn't thicken that much actually.

[artistpaul]

ArtistPaul.
You're ok man.  ;D This is what happens when you put scientists who don't have a Phd together 

Court is out for me since I only use coconut milk from an ordinary 'no brand' tin from the Indian food store an in any case I haven't cooked a Khorma so far.

This to me is just like the brand of tom paste people buy. Totally irrelevant to the final product, since it is about spice, quantity and personal taste.
I do agree on what you said about helping people. I think the times we live in play a part in that too.

Best regards.

thanks mate

I am the same, if a recipe calls for coconut I use canned milk first off. Im in Turkey so coconut milk is sometimes a little difficult to find on a regular basis, if its not on the shelf the next best quality alternative is coconut milk powder as it dissolves in water and produces milk, NOT coconut flour, its a very different product, it does not dissolve.

[Cory Ander]

This to me is just like the brand of tom paste people buy. Totally irrelevant to the final product,

I think it's much more analogous to the TYPE of tomatoes people use Mikka (e.g. fresh, tinned, puree, paste, passatta, etc), each of which most definitely IS relevant to the final product.

I think both ingredients (i.e. coconut and tomatoes) are very worthy candidates for discussion (indeed argument) and clarification.  Too much confusion remains regarding both ingredients.

For coconut, we have the following quite different options which will give quite different results in texture and taste:

-  fresh coconut flesh
-  fresh coconut water
-  desiccated coconut (of various coarseness)
-  creamed coconut block
-  coconut cream
-  coconut milk
-  coconut milk powder
-  coconut powder/coconut flour

Regarding this thread, the confusion for me (and, it seems, for others) arises from calling it "coconut powder".  I've always taken this to mean "coconut milk powder" whereas it seems it might be taken to mean "coconut flour".

Given this confusion, I remain unconvinced about what BIRs actually use....

[Mikka1]

All of which are not tom pastes in any case.
If I fed you a tsp of either could you honestly say you would know the difference blindfolded and if not then why talk about it? Obviously 'it is written'.

I do now have a box of this stuff. I'm not convinced either myself Cory.
Best mate.

This to me is just like the brand of tom paste people buy. Totally irrelevant to the final product,

I think it's much more analogous to the TYPE of tomatoes people use Mikka (e.g. fresh, tinned, puree, paste, passatta, etc), each of which most definitely IS relevant to the final product.

I think both ingredients (i.e. coconut and tomatoes) are very worthy candidates for discussion (indeed argument) and clarification.  Too much confusion remains regarding both ingredients.

For coconut, we have the following quite different options which will give quite different results in texture and taste:

-  fresh coconut flesh
-  fresh coconut water
-  desiccated coconut (of various coarseness)
-  creamed coconut block
-  coconut cream
-  coconut milk
-  coconut milk powder
-  coconut powder/coconut flour

Regarding this thread, the confusion for me (and, it seems, for others) arises from calling it "coconut powder".  I've always taken this to mean "coconut milk powder" whereas it seems it might be taken to mean "coconut flour".

Given this confusion, I remain unconvinced about what BIRs actually use....

[Cory Ander]

If I fed you a tsp of either could you honestly say you would know the difference blindfolded....why talk about it

If a recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of "tomatoes", and you vary the tomatoes in a dish, as above, then the resultant dish will be discernibly different in taste and texture.

Similarly, if a recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of "coconut", and you vary the coconut in a dish, as above, then the resultant dish will be discernably different in taste and texture.

You know it and I know it.

THAT'S why I'm talking about it Mikka.

The clearer we all are the better placed we will all be to reproduce each others' (and BIR) curries.

[Cory Ander]

All of which are not tom pastes in any case.

PS:  Case in point Mikka, just like one man's "powder" is another man's "flour", one man's "paste" is another man's "puree"; it's called different things depending on where in the world you are...

[JerryM]

CA has hit this on the head - it's no wonder we've all got a tad too shirty - powder and flour being supplied as completely different things by different suppliers. i was totally amazed that the flour i have is nothing like bread flour.

Secret Santa,

i think u must use the same as me - as u put me onto using the flour. i too used to find it a tad too grainy - just like u get from a BIR. i do add 100ml of water to the 300ml portion of base whenever i use the flour - this seems to allow the grains to cook out better. i tend to cook this type of dish for probably 7-8 mins c/w 5 as a norm. i'm using 1 heaped chef of the flour per portion.