The market · Nuts and seeds · Southeast Asia, South Asia
Coconut milk
Pressed from grated coconut flesh — not the water inside the nut.
creamy · sweet
What to do with it
Rosa Ibarra's Clarified milk punch, mezcal and pineappleCoconut milk would soften its edgeIbu Sari's Sambal ijoCoconut milk would soften its edgeKenji Hara's Milk punch, with hojichaCoconut milk would soften its edge
MinangkabauRendangBeef simmered in coconut milk and spice paste for hours, until the liquid is gone and the meat fries in what's left.2 versions hereMinangkabauLamangGlutinous rice and coconut milk, packed into bamboo lined with banana leaf and cooked for hours at the edge of a fire.No one here has made it yetJavaneseGudegYoung jackfruit simmered for hours in coconut milk and palm sugar until brown, sweet and tender, served with rice, chicken, egg and a hot stew of cow's skin.No one here has made it yetSundaneseEmpal gentongBeef and offal stewed in a spiced coconut broth in a clay pot over a wood fire, with rice or lontong and dried chilli to sprinkle.No one here has made it yet
ThaiMango sticky riceSticky rice soaked in sweet, salted coconut milk, served warm with ripe mango and a spoonful of coconut cream.No one here has made it yetThaiKhao soiEgg noodles in a coconut curry broth with chicken or beef, under a tangle of crisp fried noodles, with pickled mustard greens, shallot and lime on the side.No one here has made it yetThaiMassaman curryA rich, mild coconut curry fragrant with cardamom, cinnamon and clove, with beef or chicken, potatoes and peanuts, sweet and sour with palm sugar and tamarind.No one here has made it yet
VietnameseChèA family of sweet soups and puddings — beans, jellies, fruit or tapioca in syrup or coconut milk, hot or over ice.No one here has made it yetVietnameseBánh xèoA thin, crisp pancake of rice flour, coconut milk and turmeric, folded round pork, prawns and bean sprouts, wrapped in leaves and herbs and dipped in nước chấm.No one here has made it yetMalaysianNasi lemakRice cooked in coconut milk and pandan, with sambal, crisp anchovies, peanuts, cucumber and egg.No one here has made it yetMalaysianCurry laksaNoodles in a rich, spiced coconut curry broth, with tofu puffs, prawns, chicken, bean sprouts and a spoonful of sambal.No one here has made it yetMalaysianSataySkewers of turmeric-marinated meat grilled over charcoal, with a sweet, spicy peanut sauce, rice cakes, cucumber and onion.No one here has made it yetMalaysianKaya toastToast spread with kaya — a jam of coconut milk, eggs, sugar and pandan — and slabs of cold butter, with soft-boiled eggs and coffee.No one here has made it yetMalaysianCendolGreen strands of pandan rice-flour jelly in coconut milk and gula melaka syrup, over shaved ice, often with red beans.No one here has made it yetFilipinoBicol expressPork simmered in coconut milk with shrimp paste and a great many chillies, until the sauce is thick and oily.No one here has made it yetBengaliChingri malai curryLarge river prawns simmered in coconut milk with ginger, a little ghee and warm whole spices — mild, sweet and rich, and a dish for guests and weddings.No one here has made it yetGoanBebincaA tall cake of many thin layers — coconut milk, egg yolks, sugar and flour, with ghee between them — each baked under a grill before the next is poured.No one here has made it yetSouth IndianAppam and stewBowl-shaped rice pancakes, lacy at the edge and soft in the middle, with a mild stew of coconut milk, whole spices and potato.No one here has made it yetSouth IndianKori rottiA chicken curry of coconut milk and roasted red chilli, poured over crisp, paper-thin wafers of dried rice that soften as you eat.No one here has made it yetSri LankanHoppersBowl-shaped pancakes of fermented rice flour and coconut milk, crisp and lacy at the edge and soft at the base, often with an egg cooked inside.No one here has made it yetSri LankanLampraisRice cooked in stock, with a mixed-meat curry, frikkadels, prawn blachan, aubergine pickle and egg, wrapped in banana leaf and baked.No one here has made it yetSri LankanParippuRed lentils cooked soft in coconut milk with turmeric and green chilli, then tempered with onion, mustard seed, curry leaves and rampe.No one here has made it yetSri LankanKiribathRice cooked in thick coconut milk until it sets, pressed flat and cut into diamonds, eaten with lunu miris.No one here has made it yetSri LankanJaffna crab curryLagoon crabs cooked in the shell in a fiery sauce of roasted Jaffna curry powder, tamarind and coconut milk, with moringa leaves.No one here has made it yetSri LankanWatalappanA steamed custard of kithul jaggery, coconut milk and eggs, spiced with cardamom and nutmeg and topped with cashews.No one here has made it yetJamaicanRice and peasRice cooked with kidney beans in coconut milk, with thyme, spring onion, allspice and a whole scotch bonnet.No one here has made it yetJamaicanBammyA thick round flatbread of grated cassava, soaked in coconut milk and fried or steamed — Jamaica's oldest bread.No one here has made it yetJamaicanRundownSalted or fresh mackerel simmered in coconut milk cooked down until it thickens, with tomato, onion, thyme and scotch bonnet.No one here has made it yetBrazilianMoqueca baianaFish, or prawns, stewed in coconut milk and dendê palm oil with tomato, peppers, onion, lime and coriander.No one here has made it yetBrazilianVatapáA thick, creamy paste of bread, dried shrimp, peanuts and cashews cooked with coconut milk, dendê and ginger.No one here has made it yetKinds
- Thick (first press)
- Rich; santan kental in Malay and Indonesian.
- Thin (second press)
- For simmering, before the thick goes in.
- Coconut cream
- The fat-rich top of a tin, or sold separately.
Goes with
Cooked with, here
How much, here
31–31% of the dish by weight — a place to start.
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- Southeast Asian grocers. Look for just coconut and water on the label.
- A little history
- Pressed fresh every day across Malaysia and Indonesia, and the base of countless curries and kuih.
- Worth knowing
- Tins with added gums and emulsifiers resist splitting — which is a problem when, as in rendang, you want the oil to split.
Kitchens that keep it in
West Sumatra, IndonesiaMinangkabauThe cooking of the Minang highlands: chilli, coconut and time, and the source of the Padang restaurants found across Indonesia and Malaysia.10 classics · 3 cooked hereThailandThaiA cooking of balance, tasted and adjusted at every step: sour, sweet, salty and hot in the same mouthful, sharpened with herbs.11 classicsMalaysia — the Malay Peninsula and northern Borneo, between the Strait of Malacca and the South China SeaMalaysianMalay, Chinese, Indian and Peranakan cooking side by side: sambal, coconut and rice, wok-fried noodles and flaky roti, eaten at hawker stalls and mamak shops at all hours.10 classicsThe Philippines — more than seven thousand islands between the South China Sea and the PacificFilipinoSour, salty and a little sweet — vinegar and calamansi, fish sauce and shrimp paste, rice at every meal and pork cooked every way.10 classicsBrazil — the eastern half of South America, from the Amazon to the southern pampasBrazilianBlack beans and rice every day, cassava in a dozen forms, fish stewed in palm oil and coconut, and meat roasted over coals on long skewers.10 classics
