Instructions: Hi, I m Karen from Singapore & I havent posted in a while (I do read all your posts!).

Just thought I would respond to this one cos Im from Spore & we eat loads of curries.

Using hot water & coconut flakes gives you coconut milk which is basically still high in fat. Thats what the local (Indians) do actually - we buy freshly grated coconut, add some warm water & squeeze out the milk.

Most of us are getting health conscious and we use evaporated milk or plain yogurt as a substitute for the artery clogging coconut milk. If you are making a curry that is thick & creamy, I suggest substituting with yogurt. I think you can start off with a 1 for 1 substitution and add the evaporated milk/yogurt to your cooking till you get the desired consistency.

Coconut milk is used to thicken curries. There is a subtle fragrance (if any!) and it can easily be "forgotten" once everyones tongue starts to burn from the spiciness of the curries! :-)

I have also used fresh milk with a little vanilla flavouring to substitute for coconut milk in SOME dessert recipes with success. Just experiment & see if you like the results.

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