Curry : any substitute for coconut milk?

RedPlanet

I make homemade curries with:
2 tins chopped tomatoes with herbs
Lots of garlic
A gorgeous cumin curry paste
1 tin of coconut milk.

It turns out really nice.
However, my other half is worred about the fat content in coconut milk.
I know there's a "low fat" variety, and we've used it but it's still got a lot of fat in it and it's just watered down more so the curry doesn't come out as nice.
So does anybody know of some bizarre substitute for coconut milk?
ONe that is low fat?

olaola

No substitute that I can think of, but if you want to make it creamy & low fat - use fat-free fromage frais.

broin

You can buy blocks of coconut cream, and in the packet, one end is translucent and fatty. So use the other end.

I guess you could use quark, but where's your coconut flavor coming from, then?

Perhaps try some dry curries, focusing on vegetables and spices rather than a wet sauce.

Magic Monkey

You could use evaporated milk, or low-fat creme fraiche or yoghurt, a little bit of cornflour or rice flour to thicken, and coconut essence; the latter is available in that Asian shop on Parnell St. near the entrance to the Ilac centre.

admiralofthefleet

try a low fat natural yogurt, alternatively marinade the meat in the natural yogurt mixed with a little turmeric

Minder

Using coconut milk in a tomato based sauce will lighten the sauce, you will get a very different finish using spinach puree - wilt the spinach before pureeing in a blender and add it at the end of the cooking. It will give a browner sauce which is good in a meat curry - like lamb. Low fat (No fat) and aa additional veggie in the meal.

rubadub

Coconut oil is good for you, I eat a lot of coconut, if it is calories you are worrying about I would sooner just eat less rice. Most people eat huge portions of rice.

CJhaughey

rubadub wrote: »

if it is calories you are worrying about I would sooner just eat less

Well said!

Minder

rubadub wrote: »

Coconut oil is good for you.

Good point, a little info below...

Coconut Oil Bad For You? Hardly
There is widespread misconception that coconut oil is bad for you because it is said to raise blood cholesterol and cause heart disease. The only "proof" is one four-decades old study. The study used hydrogenated coconut oil.

It is now known that the process of hydrogenation creates "trans fatty acids" (TFAs), which are toxic entities that enter cell membranes, block utilization of essential fatty acids (EFAs) and impede cell functionality. TFAs also cause a rise in blood cholesterol. These substances are not present in natural coconut oil.

In other words, a study based on hydrogenated coconut oil has no relevance to the non-hydrogenated coconut milk or coconut oil that you eat.

Widespread studies of coconut-consuming populations such as those found in Polynesia and Sri Lanka, show that "dietary coconut oil does not lead to high serum cholesterol nor to high coronary heart disease mortality or morbidity."(See endnote 1.) Other studies show no change in serum cholesterol level from coconut oil. (See endnote 2.) And if it is true that the herpes virus and cytomegalovirus have a causative role in the initial formation of atherosclerotic plaques (See endnote 3.), coconut oil may be beneficial in preventing heart disease. (See Benefits below.)

Coconut Oil as Saturated Fat

Another reason people believe coconut oil must be bad for you is misguided association: it is a saturated fat and "saturated fats are bad for you." Dietary guidelines inevitably fail to distinguish between different kinds of saturated fats and insist that saturated fats (meaning all saturated fats) are harmful.

This is not just misleading. It is bad science. Leading scientists now recognize that just as there is good cholesterol, there are also good saturated fats.

Fats are classified as short-, medium- or long-chain based on the number of carbon molecules they contain. Nearly two-thirds of the saturated fat in coconut oil consists of medium-chain fatty acids.

When we eat long-chain fatty acids, they must be emulsified by bile salts in the small intestine before they can be absorbed into our body. Short- and medium-chain fatty acids, such as those in coconut milk, are absorbed directly through the portal vein to the liver, where they are immediately available to the body.

In other words, most of the saturated fat in coconut oil is easily digestible and converted into quick energy. And these types of fatty acids are less likely to cause obesity because they are immediately used by the body and have no opportunity to be stored.

The Hill Billy

Minder wrote: »

Good point, a little info below...

Minder - Brilliant post!

RedPlanet

Thanks for the replies.
I'm going to try creme frais and coconut essence.

I'd also like to comment on that article "The Truth About Coconut Oil."
There is another study that found that when replacing coconut oil with polyunsaturated fat, resulted in lower blood cholestrol levels.

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=893700

The reduction of dietary saturated fat (the coconut oil) with partial replacement of unsaturated fat brings about changes in total cholesterol, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol that are associated with a lower cardiovascular risk.