Cooking with Coconut: 125 Recipes for Healthy Eating ; Delicious Uses for Every Form: Oil, Flour, Water, Milk, Cream, Sugar, Dried & Shredded

289 Pages·2016·50.721 MB·English

by  Ganeshram, Ramin

COOKING

Coco uwitht
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CO O K I NG

Coco utwith
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125 RECIPES FOR HEALTHY EATING
DELICIOUS USES FOR EVERY FORM
Ramin Ganeshram
PHOTOGRAPHS BY
MATT ARMENDARIZ
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Storey Publishing
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acknowledgments
Thanks to the following companies for making their coconut products
available to try: King Arthur Flour, Bob’s Red Mill, Nature’s Way, and Tree of Life.
Special thanks to Vitamix.
The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by
publishing practical information that encourages
personal independence in harmony with the environment.
EDITED BY Margaret Sutherland and Sarah Guare
ART DIRECTION AND BOOK DESIGN BY Carolyn Eckert
INDEXED BY Christine R. Lindemer, Boston Road Communications
COVER PHOTOGRAPHY BY © Matt Armendariz, except author’s photo by © JP Velotti
INTERIOR PHOTOGRAPHY BY © Matt Armendariz, except for those listed on page 277
ILLUSTRATION ON PAGE 18 BY © Edith Rewa Barrett
© 2016 by Ramin Ganeshram
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
reproduced without written permission from the
publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote Names: Ganeshram, Ramin, author.
brief passages or reproduce illustrations in a review Title: Cooking with coconut : 125 recipes for healthy
with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this eating : delicious uses for every form — oil, flour,
book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or water, milk, cream, sugar, dried, and shredded / by
transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, Ramin Ganeshram.
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other — Description: North Adams, MA : Storey Publishing,
without written permission from the publisher. [2016] | Includes index.
The information in this book is true and complete Identifiers: LCCN 2016030669 (print) | LCCN
to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations 2016038005 (ebook) | ISBN
are made without guarantee on the part of the author 9781612126463 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781612126470
or Storey Publishing. The author and publisher (Ebook)
disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this Subjects: LCSH: Cooking (Coconut) | LCGFT:
information. Cookbooks.
Storey books are available for special premium Classification: LCC TX814.2.C63 G36 2016 (print) |
and promotional uses and for customized editions. LCC TX814.2.C63 (ebook) |
For further information, please call 800-793-9396. DDC 641.6/461—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016030669
Storey Publishing
210 MASS MoCA Way
North Adams, MA 01247
storey.com
Printed in China by Toppan Leefung Printing Ltd.
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acknowledgments dedication
Thanks to the following companies for making their coconut products For Jean Paul
available to try: King Arthur Flour, Bob’s Red Mill, Nature’s Way, and Tree of Life.
Special thanks to Vitamix.

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contents
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Introduction 9
A Little Coconut History 9
A Nutritional Powerhouse 12
The Rich Diversity of Coconut 13
1
a coconut primer:
parts, products,
and uses 15
The Many Forms of Coconut 16
DIY Coconut Pantry 24
2
openings
(appetizers, snacks, and
small plates) 31
3
mains 63
4
vegetables,
legumes,
5
and starches 111 breakfasts 147
6
desserts 185
7
drinks 257
Glossary 273
Recipes by Dietary Type 275
Index 278

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introduction
T
HWACK! THE QUICK RUSH of air from the cutlass, brought
down with force and speed, ruffled my hair. It was the only breeze
on the inferno-like street in downtown Port of Spain, capital of
Trinidad and Tobago — land of my paternal ancestors.
The man with the machete grinned and held out the large
green coconut he had decapitated for me, making chopping motions around
its crown to pierce a hole through which I could sip the water inside.
As I sipped, letting the cool, slightly sweet water slip easily
down my throat, the vendor lifted another green coconut —
roughly the size of a soccer ball — and went to work again, deftly
turning the coconut in his palm as he brought the cutlass down
upon its crown (the capped area where the coconut had been
attached to the tree). It is a skill that has fascinated and terrified
me ever since I first saw my father making short work of a coconut
the same way when I was just 5 years old.
A Little Coconut History
The coconut, which is native to tropical climates like that of
Trinidad, grows on the coconut palm tree, which bears fruit year-
round. Its ready availability makes it a staple ingredient in the
cuisines of South Asia, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia,
One of
where it is used in rice, curries, and soups as well as sweets.
these nuts
Coconut was also used, albeit sparingly, in the southern
is a meal
American colonies, arriving as whole mature coconut on trade
for a man,
ships bringing sugar, spices, and slaves from the Caribbean.
both meat
But it was its wider introduction by Franklin Baker Sr. to the city
and drink.
of Philadelphia in the late nineteenth century that catapulted
— MARCO POLO coconut into the limelight.
9

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