Coconuts the star in so many dishes
Coconuts can be the answer to many questions. Looking for a thirst-quenching, high-electrolyte beverage? The lowcalorie coconut water from young coconuts can supplement natural sugars, vitamins and minerals after you’ve been sweating outdoors. It’s especially rich in the potassium that’s vital to balance fluids and mineral levels in the body.
Adding coconut milk in stews not only makes the soup or sauce much richer and denser, but also brings a unique, light fragrance to balance the flavor.
And if you are searching for delicious soup recipes, a light option is Chinese-style coconut chicken soup made by stewing fresh chicken in coconut water with goji berries, jujubes and water chestnuts, while Thai-style uses the much richer milk of the coconut and strong herbs and seasonings such as lemongrass, lemon leaves, ginger, fish sauce and spicy chili to make a creamy and spicy soup.
Coconut can be incorporated in many
dishes. It goes well with so many things and you can find fresh coconuts of different ages in the market throughout the year that suit the right recipes.
Dessert making is where the coconut really shines as the star. Fresh coconut itself doesn’t have a distinct acidic or sweet flavor, the coconut water is lightly sweet and plain coconut flesh also has a mild sweetness, which makes it great to use with a variety of more flavorful ingredients.
Chinese people love soupy desserts and sweet soups like red bean soup or glutinous rice balls served in jiuniang (sweet fermented glutinous rice) soup. With coconut, a Hainan classic known as qingbuliang is a must-try for fans of coconut.
The name qingbuliang translates as “fresh, nourishing and cool,” and that’s the exact feeling you can get after eating the dessert.
This dish uses freshly pressed coconut juice as a base, then mix in a variety of cooked beans, taro, pearl barley, fruit and even ice cream to complete a sweet, cool soup. The beans are usually quite sweet as sugar is added in the cooking, and the taro must be soft. Fruits on the sour side can be added to balance the sweetness, but generally the dessert has a light taste.
There are two crucial ingredients in making an ideal bowl of qingbuliang: crispy jujube chips and dongguayi, which are traditional, semi-transparent, al-dente starch balls made of potato flour or tapioca flour that resemble the appearance of winter gourds. They’re similar to the better-known taro tapioca balls and some shops would use the latter as a replacement.
Qingbuliang is a local snack in Hainan where there’s an abundance of coconuts and a need for cooling treats in the tropical climate. You can find qingbuliang shops in Shanghai and they also do delivery via popular delivery platforms. A bowl of classic qingbuliang without fruit or ice cream costs 20 to 30 yuan (US$2.8-4.3).
If you are shopping for coconut juice, which is made by blending coconut flesh with water and then filtering out the solid residue, almost all the packaged products contain added sugar or sweeteners, and it’s important to read the labels and nutritional information.