Coconut milk powder

[237SJ]

Is coconut milk powder a good substitute for canned coconut milk? The tinned stuff is quite expensive so I bought the powder but am wondering if it has the right consistency. It`s to make a Goan fish curry.

[funnygirl]

How much do you pay for a tin??? I pay about 50pence.
I know it can be expensive along with the blocks of coconut cream.
But it is worth paying the extra.

[Mamyalynne]

I buy the blocks too.

[pastafreak]

I only use the blocks-then you can use as much or as little as you want.

[237SJ]

Thanks. I haven`t used blocks. I`ve got some cream but I guess that`s a different thing. Do you dissolve blocks in water and is it creamy?

[funnygirl]

No you don't dissolve the blocks.
These are about the size of a block of butter, a little slimmer and you chop off what you want and drop it into the food. It is normally solid and will melt down.
If it is not coconutty enough then you can add more.

[Mamyalynne]

I grate it from the block.

[237SJ]

When I make Thai curry though, I just chuck a load of paste (cheating I know) into a tin of coconut milk and go from there. Where would I get the liquid from if I used blocks? Wouldn`t it have to be dissolved in hot water?

[Mosaic]

The coconut blocks are essentially a solid vegetable fat - think Trex, but nice - so as they get hot they melt into a liquid.

[pastafreak]

Sometimes I have a nibble of a bit of block...nice when you want something a bit sweet.

[heathfield]

Coconut milk powder is fine. Just make it up according to the instructions - though you'll find it needs a good whisking. Before it became available in the UK I used to bring back packs of it from holiday in the Caribbean. Packs for making Malaysian Chicken Rendang, etc, contain coconut milk powder as part of the ingredients, and it works very well. Unlike tins, powder and blocks will keep after opening.