Coconut milk is a special liquid extracted from fresh coconut meat (the white flesh inside the coconut). To make coconut milk, people will grate or puree fresh coconut meat, then press or squeeze to collect the water.
Coconut milk has some characteristics:
- Thick and fatty: Coconut milk is thick and fatty because it contains a lot of fat from coconut meat. This is the main ingredient that creates the rich, fragrant and fatty flavor in dishes.
- Opaque white: Coconut milk is opaque white, and when frozen or stored for a long time, it can separate into a water layer and a coconut fat layer.
- Uses in cuisine: Coconut milk is widely used in Asian dishes, especially in curry, sticky rice, sweet soup, stewed dishes, or soft drinks. It can also be used to make cakes or mixed into desserts to create a rich and characteristic flavor.
In addition, the coconut pulp can also be processed into coconut milk, a thick, rich, fragrant milk that helps to enhance many dishes. Perhaps because coconut is available and coconut milk is so attractive, people in the West use this ingredient for many dishes, especially cakes or sweet dishes.
Some types of cakes eaten with coconut milk:
1. Steamed banana cake with coconut milk
Making banana cake is the perfect suggestion for you when you don’t know what to make with coconut milk. Banana cake is a rustic dish loved by many people. Steamed banana cake cannot be without the rich taste of coconut milk mixed evenly on top of each fragrant piece of banana cake. When eating steamed banana cake, you can feel the chewy cake, the fragrant coconut milk and the roasted peanuts. This dish is a delicious, nutritious and cheap snack for many students.
2. Banh Duc La Pandan
If you are familiar with the savory banh duc dish made from rice flour and shrimp and meat filling inside, try changing your taste a bit. Whenever you don’t know what to make with coconut milk, immediately think of the famous banh duc la pandan of the Western region. With the characteristic green color of pandan leaves, each piece of sticky rice cake looks really eye-catching, with a layer of rich coconut milk and a little bit of the richness of broad beans and roasted sesame.
3. Pandan-leaf pork skin cake with coconut milk
Another suggestion for you when you don’t know what to make with coconut milk that you must try right away. Pig skin cake has been a part of the childhood of countless people. To cook this cake, you have to steam each layer of cake in turn and then arrange them alternately to create the characteristic appearance of pig skin cake. Pig skin cake stands out with a chewy layer of pandan-leaf green cake alternating with a pure white layer of cake, rich from coconut milk. Just taking a bite of pig skin cake will make you remember it forever.
4. Yen Tai Banh with Coconut Milk
A specialty of the Mekong Delta that cannot be missed is Yen Tai Banh with Coconut Milk. This cake has a soft, white surface while the base and edges are golden yellow, crispy and fragrant with coconut milk. You can make Yen Tai Banh with only 3 types of flour: rice flour, tapioca flour, wheat flour mixed with eggs and a little vanilla extract. Boil the coconut milk with sugar and add to the prepared flour. Mix well and let it ferment for 3 to 4 hours. Then fry it and you have a delicious and attractive plate of Yen Tai Banh with Coconut Milk that everyone will love.
5. Fu Ling Cake
Fu Ling Cake is familiar to Vietnamese families because it often appears on the offering trays during Tet holidays or family worship. Back then, there weren’t as many cakes as there are now, the children just waited for the cake plate to be put down and quickly divided each one a piece of Fu Ling Cake. The sweet taste of the cake has the aroma of pandan leaves and coconut milk that melts as soon as it enters the mouth.
6. Coconut milk sponge cake
As a connoisseur of sweets, how can you ignore this specialty of the Western region, coconut milk sponge cake? It is characterized by each piece of cake with many small air holes on the surface of the cake, when eaten, the cake will be spongy, slightly chewy and has a very pleasant sweet taste. Not only is it easy to make, the cake is also made more elaborately by adding many colors to make the cake more attractive. From the yellow color of the palm fruit, the jade green color of pandan leaves, the purple color of butterfly pea flowers, …
7. Cassava Cake
The image of people selling colorful cakes covered with grated coconut on their carts must have become a part of many people’s childhood. That cake is none other than cassava cake. Not only does it contain many childhood memories, cassava cake also has an irresistible appeal that makes you exclaim how delicious it is after just one bite.
8. Banh tam bi
You can change your taste a bit with a dish that has an interesting combination of savory and sweet dishes. The noodles are made from rice flour and wheat flour, creating each piece of chewy cake. Banh tam bi is served with sweet and sour fish sauce and thick coconut milk. To make it more delicious, you should prepare more pork skin, raw vegetables, pickles and fried onions to eat with it.
9. Banh la mit (Banh la mo)
Those who are sweet-toothed should check to see if they have heard of this extremely strange banh la mit. Originating from the beloved West, the cake looks very rustic but is a bit more elaborate to make. Rice flour is spread in a thin layer in the shape of a leaf and then steamed.
10. Coconut Milk Cake
Save this cake to your must-try list when you don’t know what to make with coconut milk. Everyone loves this cake, not only because it’s easy to make and delicious, but also because it’s effective in cooling down on hot summer days. Each strand of cake is soft and chewy, the layer of coconut milk is salty and sweet, along with the characteristic aroma of pandan leaves. Add a few ice cubes, use a spoon to scoop a piece, put it in your mouth to try it, and you have to praise the unquestionable quality of this cake.
11. Green bean cake with coconut milk
Green bean cake can be prepared in many different ways, adding rich flavor to this delicious cake. Making baked green bean cake, you can enjoy the golden outer layer, the soft, sweet, fatty coconut milk inside. Especially the fragrant green bean smell emanating from the cake. You can also make dry green bean cake. When the cake is put into the mold, you can freely create many green bean cakes with countless different eye-catching shapes.
12. Coconut milk cake
The coconut milk cake will attract everyone’s eyes right away. Each small square piece of cake is evenly covered with a layer of shredded coconut on the outside. Anyone who looks at it will drool, wondering why the cake is so attractive.
These sweet treats not only bring out the distinct flavor of coconut milk but also showcase the richness and diversity of Asian cuisine. Try making these treats to enjoy the sweet, creamy flavor of coconut milk!
