Tag Archives: coconut milk

Dining, Recipes

Recipe: Sticky Rice with Kiwi

I thought it time to mix up my fave summer treat, mango and sticky rice, with a colorful twist. Golden kiwi and black/purple glutinous rice in sweet coconut milk. This is a gluten-free and “mostly” dairy-free dessert that I appreciate for its hot-and-cold temps in the same dish.

“Mostly” because the stevia I use at home is Trader Joe’s 100% Pure Stevia Extract powder that lists lactose in its ingredient info (the organic version does not contain lactose). If you’re paranoid about artificial sweeteners (or want to avoid the aftertaste), stick to regular sweeteners that contain sucrose, glucose or fructose. Authentic Thai sticky rice calls for palm sugar or coconut sugar.

This recipe requires a little prep time before getting to the end product. The rice needs to soak in water for about 4-6 hours, overnight if possible before steaming or cooking on the stove top.

My instructions call for a 30-45 minute stove top cook using a sauce pan with a vented lid.

  • 4oz black glutinous rice
  • 8oz water
  • 4.5oz coconut milk (reserve half a 9oz can)
  • 2 tsp stevia (or sub with sugar)

Bring to a boil, then partially cover with lid askew and simmer rice at low-medium heat. Cook until liquids are fully absorbed and rice becomes soft-sticky. Let cooked rice stand for 5 minutes while making the coconut milk sauce:

  • 4.5oz coconut milk
  • 2 tsp stevia (or sub with sugar)

Warm the coconut milk and stir in the sweetener until incorporated. Garnish with sliced fruit, in this case, I chose a medium sized golden kiwi, sliced. Arrange rice and fruit in a bowl or cup, drizzle with coconut sauce then  serve.

 

Dining, Recipes

Recipe: Pumpkin Coconut Cornbread Pudding

Cornbread pudding is relatively easy to make, especially when baking with pre-mixed boxed cornbread. But to add a little variety, here’s an autumn spin on cornbread pudding:

Cornbread ingredients (adapted from Comfybelly.com):

  • 1/2 cup cornmeal
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 jumbo eggs
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 cup coconut
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil (for greasing pan)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8×8 baking pan. Mixed dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately. Then fold together and stir well. Pour mixture into pan and smooth top with a spatula. Bake for 20 minutes until inserted pick comes out clean.

Remove from pan to cool, then chop into cubes. Meanwhile heat oven to 250F. Place cornbread cubes in pan, lay flat. Bake until toasted, about 15 – 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit on counter to continue dry and cool.

Pumpkin custard ingredients  (adapted from HealthyRecipesBlogs.com):

  • 1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup sugar free maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 jumbo eggs
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil (for greasing pan)

Beat eggs, mix all wet ingredients together. Fold in cornbread cubes and mix with custard until incorporated. While the bread soaks up the custard, heat oven to 350F. Grease an 8×8 pan with coconut oil. Pour bread and custard into pan, and use a spatula to flatten the surface. Bake for 30 minutes.

Dining, Recipes

An attempt at maja blanca

I had a bag of frozen corn in the freezer, a can of coconut milk in the pantry, and a box of rice flour. I strived to make some maja blanca maiz this weekend but ended up with a cold dessert with the consistency of pudding. The maja blanca of my childhood possessed the firmness of gelatin or flan rather than the softness of champurado, or a standard rice pudding.

Maja blanca is typically referred to as a coconut pudding or rice-coconut pudding. But in my experience, it typically sets or hardens after cooking. My experimental dessert sat in the fridge overnight and remained in a semi-liquid state. Luckily I didn’t go so far as to produce latik, or fried coconut curd, to accompany it. So, after much review of the original recipe, I resolve to retry the dessert again with cornstarch.

Dining, Recipes

Thai Fried Bananas

The best fried bananas you’ll ever taste! (As long as you’re not afraid of the deep-fried part.) What gives this dessert that sweet punch is the coconut milk used in the batter, making for a nice thick and sweet crunch. If the preference is for a thinner batter, use water…though you’ll lose that distinct coconutty flavor.

1 cup rice flour
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons sugar
4 firm bananas
3 cups vegetable oil

Heat oil in deep fryer or pan over medium-high heat.

Combine rice flour, coconut milk, baking soda and sugar to form a thick batter. Bias cut the bananas about half-inch thick. Add bananas in batter and coat liberally. Carefully drop battered pieces into hot oil. Use tongs to flip pieces if not using a fryer basket. Fry until golden brown. Remove from heat and drain on towels. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar or warm honey.