Tag: coconut

Red cabbage and coconut salad with honey chilli dressing

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

Pretty pink salad, crunchy and toasty and flecked with green and orange. An unusual combination that works amazingly. Feeds 2.

  • ¼ red cabbage, chopped into small 1cm-ish pieces
  • 1 small carrot, peeled and grated
  • 30g desiccated coconut
  • Small handful coriander, chopped
  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp veg oil or rapeseed oil
  • 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  • ½ tsp salt
  1. Toast the coconut in a dry pan until it smells amazing and turns golden around the edges
  2. Tip it in a bowl and add the cabbage, carrot and coriander
  3. Mix the honey (warmed to liquid with 10 secs in the microwave if it’s set), vinegar, oil, salt and chilli together and then tip the dressing over the salad
  4. Mix well and serve straight away

Coconut chai spiced loaf

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Sweet, creamy coconut x warm, chai spices. A perfect match, and a legitimate reason to have both of these things for breakfast.

  • 200ml coconut milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 140g light brown soft sugar
  • 140g plain flour
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • 40g desiccated coconut
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • Seeds from 5 cardamom pods, crushed
  • Grating of nutmeg
  • Pinch ground cloves
  1. Line a loaf tin and pre-heat oven to 160C fan (180C)
  2. In a bowl or large jug, whisk together the coconut milk, oil, eggs and vanilla.
  3. In another bowl, mix the sugar, flour, baking powder, desiccated coconut, spices and a pinch of salt.
  4. Simply pour in the wet ingredients and mix until just combined to a smooth batter.
  5. Pour into the tin and bake for 1 hour (or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean)

Satay sauce

~ Sophie ~ 2 Comments

Peanutty, aromatic, warm and delicious. Usually a closely guarded family secret, so my dad is going to be unimpressed I’m posting it here – but I made a judgment call that the world needs it. The perfect accompaniment to grilled chicken but, trust me, you’ll want to pour it straight from the jug into your mouth. (Note: this is frowned upon in a public setting)

  • 1 small onion, grated
  • 1 tbsp veg oil
  • 1 stalk lemongrass, grated
  • 1 tin coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
  • 2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp soft light brown sugar
  • Pinch of chilli flakes
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • Squeeze of lime
  1. Cook the onion in veg oil over a low heat until completely soft but not brown
  2. Add the lemongrass and stir in for a minute
  3. Then add all the rest of the ingredients
  4. Stir together thoroughly until completely combined and cook over a low heat for about 10 mins (adding a little bit of water if it gets too thick)

Coconut rice

~ Sophie ~ 4 Comments

One of the very nicest rices you can eat. Especially good as a soothing counterpoint to something challengingly spicy

  • 225g basmati rice
  • 150ml coconut milk
  • 300ml water
  • ½ tsp salt
  1. Place the rice in a bowl, cover with cold water and soak for 10 mins
  2. Drain and rinse through with fresh water
  3. Dump into a saucepan with a lid and stir in the coconut milk, water and salt
  4. Stick the lid on, bring to the boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 mins, then turn the heat off and leave with the lid on for a further 5 mins
  5. Fluff up and serve sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and finely chopped spring onion

Coconut and tamarind dal

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Also known as Sri Lankan masur dal. This recipe needs some slightly more obscure ingredients, but it’s so worth it if you can find them. You’ll end up with a bowl of fragrant, creamy, spiced, lentilly goodness. A veritable hug in a bowl. And quick enough from raw ingredients to eating that it makes a great weeknight dinner.

  • 200g red lentils, washed in cold water and drained
  • 1 heaped tbsp tamarind paste
  • 500ml water
  • 250ml coconut milk
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • 3 tbsp veg oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
  • 2 small shallots, finely sliced
  • 8 fresh curry leaves
  • 2 red chillies, deseeded and chopped
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • Put the wet lentils, tamarind and water into a saucepan and bring to the boil
  • Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook until the lentils are soft, stirring occasionally. This can take anything from 20 mins to 45, as it depends on the age (and dryness) of the lentils. You may need to add more water if they are drying out but not yet soft
  • Add the coconut milk, salt, chilli flakes and turmeric and stir through
  • Simmer for 10 mins and then cover and turn the heat off
  • Heat a wok or small heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat and add the oil
  • When hot, add the shallots and garlic, stirring for 2 mins until lightly browned
  • Add the curry leaves, red chilli and ground coriander
  • Mix well and cook for another minute until everything is fragrant and sizzling
  • Tip this hot mixture straight into the dal and stir through

You can serve this as part of a larger array of dishes and it will not only hold its own, but impress on its own merit. But I like to eat this with some steaming basmati rice, in a bowl, with a spoon. Add in a G&T and The Great Pottery Throwdown on TV and this is the ultimate comfort food!

Kind of laksa

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

This recipe is for 2 people, but is easily expandable to feed more. Yet another dish which makes zero claim to authenticity, but is both tasty and straightforward.

  • 1 tbsp veg oil
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 3 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 1 stick lemongrass, grated (microplane for the win!)
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated/minced
  • 3cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated/minced
  • 1 hot red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 500ml chicken stock (or veg stock)
  • 1 tin coconut milk
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 heaped tsp smooth peanut butter
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • 200g cooked rice noodles
  • Fresh coriander, chopped

You can add anything you’ve got knocking around – cooked, shredded chicken; roast sweet potato; fresh spinach; chopped, steamed kale; cubes of tofu.

  1. Heat the oils in a saucepan and add the lemongrass, spring onion, garlic, ginger and chilli
  2. Stir fry over a low heat for 2 mins
  3. Pour in the stock, coconut milk and lime juice, bring to a good simmer
  4. Add the fish sauce, tomato puree, peanut butter, sugar and turmeric. Combine thoroughly and cook at a simmer for 10 mins
  5. In the final couple of minutes, add the rice noodles and any other ingredients, just to warm through
  6. Serve in deep bowls, sprinkled with coriander