Anyone ever use coconut oil for their Indian or Thai curries?

Question

I usually use canola, because of olive/sesame/safflower's strong flavor, but what are some other options for these dishes?

What would be the most authentic? And what are your experiences?

Answer 1

Coconut is quite popular in Indian along with palm oil, cottonseed, groundnut, corn and safflower even in some area they use a combo of any one I mentioned, for years coconut oil was thought to be high in cholesterol, but now with newer refining techniques they have brought it down and it as now considered in some circles as healthy.

I use a bit with palm oil and veg based one for the Kerela dishes, Goan dishs and Southern Indian cuisine, it is also popular in Thai, Malay and African cuisine along with red palm oil and both have a nice flavour.

I am a former chef and worked in Asia and in the Caribbean, were it is more of a staple, a bit will not harm you and with the more refined one now, it is a nice change and give a bit of a different flavour, for years they used it and palm oil a the movies for the popcorn, it is making a comeback.

Answer 2

Yes, I do ... and the flavors by using coconute milk is tasted very good with special aroma of coconute, so as used by its oil... but I got to tell you one of downside thing by using coconute oil... it is an unhealthy oil that it belongs to saturate oil which will clog in your blood vessel as a fat and it will become solid when it is cold.  So better not using this all the time... just try to make one and see how it is taste like.  By healthy point of view, we sometimes use this not all the time. U could use milk to replace of coconute milk but smell really different.  But healthy

Answer 3

i havent tried it...but i think the taste would be a bit overpowering

Answer 4

People of Kerala use coconut oil for most of their cuisine. It certainly does have a distinct flavour, but not unpleasant. It merges well with several types of fish dishes, and most vegetable with a strong rather than delicate taste or flavour. It is good with pickles that use a lot of chillies.

Try it; you may like it very much and become addicted to it!!!

Answer 5

Traditionally people from the state of Kerala (southern state of India) use coconut oil  for cooking, It has distinct taste.

Answer 6

I'd be more likely to use a small amount of coconut milk

Answer 7

I thought Indians used coconut oil for their hair!