Cooking with Coconut

December 1, 2016
Though having every meal infused with coconut might be too much of a good thing, accomplished journalist, chef, and author (FutureChefs: Recipes by Tomorrow's Cooks across the Nation and the World, 2014) Ganeshram makes a case for this ingredient's healthy nutritional qualities and wide variety of uses. In 125 dishes, Ganeshram reveals coconut's versatility: in appetizing meatballs, crackers, and ceviche; in mains like curries and fried oysters; for breakfasts in bran muffins and Indonesian pancakes. Of course, she sets readers up for success; beginning chapters concentrate on definitions (e.g., the difference between baker's coconut and the real thing) as well as step-by-step captioned photographs for nut techniquescracking, opening, and toasting, among others. What makes the difference in this one-ingredient showcase is the multitude of unusual recipes from the Caribbean and the South Pacific, such as sinigang (Filipino sour tamarind soup), bammy cakes, and pani popo (an egg-based dinner roll from Samoa). Marco Polo had it right: One of these nuts is a meal for a man, both meat and drink. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)