It started by watching the Muppet version of “Put the Lime in the Coconut” on Facebook. It continued Saturday night with the Philippines theme.
As I’ve mentioned, I always enjoy coconut, so when I found a recipe cooking sweet potatoes in coconut milk, I was eager to try it. It’s funny how those ingredients can combine at Thanksgiving for a sweet sidedish, but this was a more savory and spicy vegetable.
It also went well with the coconut and corn sweet rice cooked by our intern Julie. That also cooked in coconut milk but added sugar and was sweet, but not overly so.
Here are the recipes, both found online.
Corn with Coconut Milk
3 ears young corn or 1-1/2 cups creamed corn
1 cup coconut milk
6 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup sweet rice (sold in Oriental stores)
Remove corn kernels from cob if using fresh corn. In a pan, combine coconut milk, water, sugar and sweet rice. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed and rice is soft. Add corn and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes or until corn is mushy. Serve hot or cold.
Spiced Coconut Sweet Potatoes
1 Onion, chopped
3 Garlic Cloves, crushed
2 Large Chillies, finely chopped
1 teasp Ground Turmeric
1 teasp freshly grated Root Ginger
Salt and Black Pepper
1 tbsp Soy Sauce
240ml/8fl.oz. Coconut Milk
360ml/12fl.oz. Water
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
450g/1lb Sweet Potato, peeled and sliced
Place all the ingredients, except the sweet potatoes, in a large saucepan, bring to a boil
while stirring, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the sweet potato, mix well and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Serve hot.
