Coconut milk is a damn delicious ingredient, and pretty essential for a kick arse Thai curry or a creamy Paleo dessert. But not all canned coconut milk is equal…
READ THE LABEL – so even though canned coconut milk doesn’t need any other stuff added, some companies still add a plethora of other crap, so make sure you check out the ingredients list. It’s actually quite disturbing. Here’s some examples of common brands found in the major supermarkets:
- American Garden, 400ml – of its 8 ingredients (yep, 8!), 6 of them were E numbers. Why?
- Eastern, 400ml – what a relief! This one only has 3 ingredients…but wait…one of them is Sodium Caseinate. This is the biochemical name for casein, which is a type of protein found in mammal milk. Therefore peeps, while you may think you are buying a plant item, it actually contains an animal product so VEGANS BEWARE!
- Thai Choice, 400ml – this one has the added bonus of a bleaching agent and an emulsifier. Here’s an idea, how about we use our hands to shake the tin before opening, then there’s no need for this ridiculousness.
WHAT I BUY – I choose to pay an extra couple of dizzas and buy Organic Larder or Earths Finest brands. They contain….wait for it…..coconut milk and water. Hallelujah! I find these at Organic Supermarket, Carrefour, Spinneys, Waitrose, Geant (pretty much every supermarket stocks one or the other these days). Do yourself a favour, read the labels and make yourself aware!