When you want something original, but healthy and even dietetic, you should make soup with coconut milk. In the original, this recipe is quite complicated due to the availability of expensive ingredients, but it can be adapted to focus on the size of your wallet. But this is an ideal dish for the weekend, when you want to strengthen your strength, but do not overeat for the night. It will take an average of 40 minutes to cook for the first time, but gradually this time will be significantly reduced, and the soup will become your main dish.
What kind of delicacy?
Coconut milk, which is a sweet milky white liquid, came to us from the countries of the exotic East. In Indonesia and Malaysia, the drink is called "santan" or "gata" and is extracted directly from ripe coconut pulp. Cooking milk is not difficult, but still it does not by itself pour out of the fruit, like coconut water! The pulp must be chopped and mixed with water. Manually do this does not work. According to the degree of density, milk can be different, as well as the analogue familiar to us. A very fatty product is thicker and reminds cream, and a less thick one may seem watery.
Coconut milk is rich in vitamins of groups A, B, D and C. There are a lot of protein and carbohydrates in it, but fats still prevail. Therefore, such a tasty, but high-calorie drink is not advised to drink in its pure form. It is best used in cooking. For example, make soup with coconut milk.
Why is it worth a try?
The average calorie content of coconut milk is 230 calories per 100 grams. It is often compared with cow, but this equivalent is allowed for people with lactose intolerance. And all because coconut milk is completely absorbed by the body, and the oils in the composition do not contribute to weight gain. For example, in animal milk there is cholesterol, and coconut lacks it, but it contains fiber for the natural cleansing of the body. Therefore, coconut milk soup will be useful for any person, regardless of the existing diseases.
In cooking
Coconut milk soup is incredibly popular in Asian cuisine due to its wonderful velvety taste and creamy aroma of the main ingredient. Over time, coconut milk has become a real business card of vibrant Thai cuisine. Here such a product is added not only to soups, but to desserts and sugary drinks.
Using it in cooking is pleasant and simple: even at high temperatures, milk does not curl up and retains its texture, so that it can be added when stewing vegetables, meat and poultry. Also superbly fluid shades the taste of seafood. In a word, on its basis it is possible to make a magic soup with coconut milk. It is impossible to break away from the dish, but at the same time it is very satisfying and aromatic, so you can’t eat a lot of it. The basis of the original soup is chicken, herbs and roots, onions, tomatoes and mushrooms. In Thailand, such a dish is called "Tom Kha Gai." It is almost not sharp, but very easy to prepare.
So cook in Thailand
Thais are very fond of pork and chicken, and therefore most often cook soups with this meat. The cooking method is not so important: they eat meat boiled, grilled, cooked on the grill or make soup with pulp. True, Thais do not operate ovens and electric stoves, but they masterfully own rice cookers, slow cookers, a grill and gas stoves.
In extreme heat, Thai soup with coconut milk becomes the most popular dish. It can be eaten hot and cold. He does not lose his taste, as well as useful qualities. But there is one recommendation - it is better to cook fresh portions of soup, rather than harvesting it for future use. Then the dish will be fresh, juicy and very tasty. So, for a family of two, we cook soup with coconut milk.
The recipe is simple - prepare half a liter of coconut milk and chicken broth, 250 grams of chicken, two small tomatoes, one onion, 200-250 grams of fresh mushrooms (shiitake or ordinary mushrooms are suitable). Pour a couple of lime juice into a separate bowl. Also put 3-4 leaves of kafir lime, 2-3 stems of lemongrass, 1 small galangal root, fish sauce, which will replace salt. Cilantro and chili greens are perfect for serving.
Process started
Thais cook with soul and imagination, but their main feature is that they do it from the freshest products and in the fresh air. As a result, they get the dishes, as they say, in the heat of the heat. If you want to try repeating their famous recipe, then cook slowly using the freshest foods.
So, wash the chicken fillet and cut into small pieces. Dip the chicken in a pan and fill with water. While the bird is boiling, prepare the mushrooms and onions. You can cut ginger into small cubes and add it to the broth for aroma. Onion gradually spread onions, mushrooms, tomato slices, chopped herbs and roots. After boiling, add fish sauce. On medium heat, the soup should boil for 5-7 minutes and already at the final stage you need to pour coconut milk, lime juice and a little chili into it. After the fire is off, immediately proceed to serve. Pour the soup into plates and garnish with cilantro. Due to the lemon grass and lime leaves, the dish becomes incredibly aromatic and delicious.
Variation with rice - sweet tooth will appreciate
You can also cook soup with coconut milk for dessert. Recipes and composition may vary, but thanks to the main ingredient, the taste will remain unusual and very original. You will need 500 grams of coconut milk, 300 ml of water, 70 grams of rice, dried apricots and raisins. For serving, you will need walnuts, sugar and vanilla. First of all, you need to boil the rice until cooked, then rinse the grains with cold water and squeeze. In a separate bowl, add the washed raisins and pour hot water over it. The same procedure should be done with dried apricots and let the dried fruits brew for a quarter of an hour. Dried apricots should be cut into strips. Now put a saucepan on the stove, pour coconut milk and water into it, add sugar. The mixture should reach a boil. Now boiled rice is added to it and again the soup is brought to a boil. Then spread raisins and dried apricots, to taste - a little vanillin. After boiling, turn off the soup and pour on the plates, sprinkling with nuts. For flavor, nuts can be pre-fried. It is especially sweet if you sprinkle soup with coconut flakes when serving.
More satisfying option
In Russia, it is easiest to make soup with coconut milk and shrimp. The taste will change a little, but it will be just as wonderful. In a saucepan, fry the carrots and onions, add peeled shrimp, and then pour boiling water. You can use canned coconut milk in this recipe. Pour it into the pan, season with spices and cook for at least three minutes. Add thin rice noodles, soy sauce with chopped mussels and cilantro to the soup. At the end of cooking, squeeze a half of lime into the soup to give the dish a real Thai flavor.
Thai classics on our realities
Be sure to cook the soup in coconut milk with shrimp. The recipe can be safely adapted to yourself, so as not to go broke on the original ingredients. The main thing is to follow the basic rules of Thai cuisine. In particular, Thais love sweet, sour, spicy and bitter. A specific fish sauce will be replaced by soya with chopped mussels, and Tabasco sauce will add spiciness. In principle, you can replace lime with lemon and lemongrass stems. To cook such a soup you need 20-25 minutes and serve immediately. The taste is magical, without a pronounced coconut note, but with a slight sourness and tenderness of milk.