How to quickly defrost frozen coconut milk in 5 minutes without it breaking

foto: YouTube/Na Cham Kitchen

Tips for quickly thawing frozen coconut milk so it doesn't split when cooked.

Brilio.net - Indonesian cuisine often uses coconut milk to add richness and deliciousness to dishes, such as rendang, sayur lodeh , and gulai. Coconut milk is also used in meat marinades and mixed drinks. Although often associated with high cholesterol, coconut milk is safe to consume in reasonable amounts, especially if using pure coconut milk from real coconuts. According to bbcgoodfood.com, coconut milk can help prevent inflammation and increase energy.

To avoid having to buy coconut milk frequently, many people choose to stock up and store it in the freezer so that it can last up to three months. However, thawing frozen coconut milk can be a challenge, because if it is directly added to the cooking, the coconut milk can split. Waiting for the coconut milk to thaw naturally also takes a long time.

Now, you don't need to worry. There is a quick way to defrost frozen coconut milk in just five minutes, shared by Na Cham, a netizen from Malaysia, via his personal YouTube account.

He uses a double boiler technique. According to him, using this trick, the process only takes five minutes for one plastic of frozen coconut milk. If there is more, the time needed will automatically be longer. However, this trick is safer because the result is that the coconut milk remains soft and does not break after melting.

Reported from bonappetit.com, melting food ingredients using the double boiler technique is suitable for foods that are very sensitive to temperature, such as chocolate, coconut milk, and others. So, the texture of the food is not easily damaged because it is not exposed to direct heat.

"The time to melt it depends on how much coconut milk we melt, yes, if there's a lot it takes a little longer, right? I make a little bit of this (The length of the melting process depends on the amount of coconut milk, if there's a lot of coconut milk it takes a little longer, I just melt it a little)," explained Na Cham, quoted by BrilioFood from YouTube Na Cham Kitchen on Tuesday (28/1).

First, prepare a large enough pot filled with enough water. Also prepare another pot or heat-resistant bowl to place on top. Well, this additional pot or bowl will later be used to place the frozen coconut milk that you want to thaw.

photo: YouTube/Na Cham Kitchen

After the coconut milk is in a pot or heat-resistant bowl, turn on the stove. Just use a low heat so that the heat can spread evenly. When the water has started to heat up for two minutes, the coconut milk will also continue to melt half of it.

photo: YouTube/Na Cham Kitchen

After five minutes, the fire can be turned off even though the coconut milk has not completely melted. Do not immediately lift the pan or bowl containing the coconut milk so that the melting process continues even though the fire is off. Because the water in the pan continues to conduct heat.

photo: YouTube/Na Cham Kitchen

While waiting for the entire coconut milk to melt perfectly, you can leave it to prepare other cooking ingredients. Later when everything is ready, the coconut milk can be immediately removed and used according to taste. How, is this way to melt coconut milk really easy?

The proper processing of coconut milk greatly affects the cooking results. When cooking, avoid using high heat and stir the coconut milk continuously until it boils to prevent the coconut milk from splitting. For soupy dishes, add the coconut milk at the end of cooking and turn off the heat before the soup boils. If using instant coconut milk, dissolve it first with warm water and stir well before adding it to the dish. Also pay attention to the thickness of the coconut milk - thick coconut milk is suitable for rendang and gulai, while thin coconut milk is more suitable for sayur lodeh or soto.

Coconut milk contains various important nutrients for the body. The fat in coconut milk is classified as healthy fat (Medium Chain Triglycerides/MCT) which is easily digested and can increase metabolism. Coconut milk is also rich in minerals such as manganese, copper, and selenium which act as antioxidants. The iron and zinc content in coconut milk helps boost the immune system. Interestingly, coconut milk contains lauric acid which has antimicrobial properties and can help fight infections. Although nutritious, coconut milk consumption should still be in reasonable amounts, especially for people with high cholesterol or heart problems.

(brl/tin)