In the original post for this recipe I mentioned that it is not a vegan recipe because of the coconut milk. A friend thought I was joking because she thought that the coconut milk that is sold in supermarkets was made from the fluid that’s inside a coconut. This is not the case.

Coconut milk as used in Asian cuisines is actually made by scalding milk, soaking dried, unsweetened coconut meat in the milk and then straining out the coconut. Some recipes will distinguish between Thick and Thin coconut milk. The difference is that Thick coconut milk is made with milk and is the initial pressing of the coconut meat (analogous to extra-virgin olive oil) while the Thin type is made with water and is a second pressing of the coconut.

My friend took a look a can of “light” coconut milk in her pantry and noticed that it was made with water not milk, so if you want to make the Green Bean and Sweet Potato Curry as a vegan recipe you can probably use light coconut milk in the recipe.

If you want to make your own coconut milk at home the proportions are below. Scald (just below boiling) the milk, add the coconut, and let the mixture cool before straining. I use a fine mesh strainer to get most of the milk out, then spoon the coconut meat into knee-high nylons and squeeze to get out as much liquid as possible. If not using the coconut milk right away, I freeze it in ice cube trays and then put the cubes into ziploc bags for storage.