Do you love coconut water? It's taken me a while to warm up to this slightly sweet, slightly syrupy beverage, but lately I've started coming around. And because food is never far from my brain, I've really started getting excited about the possibilities of coconut water outside the glass. "Outside" as in "on my plate." You dig?
Coconut water can really be used wherever water or juice might find a home. Some of the inherent nutritional value of coconut water is likely going to be changed by cooking, but I don't think that should stop us from adding a cup or two to our favorite baked goods.
Here are some ideas I've been thinking about:
- Smoothies (an obvious one!)
- No-knead bread
- Pizza dough
- Quick breads and muffins
- Oatmeal and other cooked breakfast grains
- Soups, especially light broth-based ones
- Poaching chicken and fish
- Steaming vegetables
- De-glazing pans (in place of wine or beer)
Do you ever cook with coconut water?
Related: Coconut Water After a Workout: Is It Really Better for You?
(Image: Emma Christensen)
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i LOVE coconut everything :)
No-oil fruit salad dressing with apple cider vinegar + cayenne
Is there a non-revolting bottled coconut water? I love it straight from the coconut (I used to live in the tropics where it was readily available) but every packaged version I've tried has been awful.
I ferment it and use it as a fermenting medium! It is a super tasty just sparkly soda when you seal it after fermentation to build carbonation. To die for!
I'm with helianthemum. I love coconut everything, except for coconut water. Every brand I have ever tried tastes like rot and I've been inclined to spit it out. What brand do people like?
How would you use it in baked goods? I got two bottles of dark chocolate coconut water in swag bags, and don't particularly like dark chocolate, so it'd be nice to use it in a muffin or cookie or something.
Fermenting coconut water is one of the healthiest (and refreshing) ways of using it. My favorite is the uncooked coconut water by harmless harvest. If you want to know how to make it
- buy the 16 ounce bottle of coconut water
- put into a 16 ounce jar (i use ball jars)
- add some probiotics (speeds up process and creates a powerful probiotic drink)
- cover and make sure its full to the top (no air)
- leave to sit at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Then you have a bubbly tasty fermented drink. Enjoy!
I agree with helianthemum and New England daughter, it always tastes...off, somehow, Had some once that tasted fine, but it was full of preservatives. What I've had since (bought in bulk from Costco) tastes like cornflakes with milk and just a hint of stinky feet. Like kind of fermented or something. Definitely not coconutty.
Drinking the fresh stuff is definitely better, and once you taste it, it is hard to go back to the packaged coconut water. That said, I think the ideas in the article are great, and bottled wouldn't be so bad. Also, a lot more convenient.
Anyone have any experience with making oatmeal with it? My husband and I want to try a tropical oatmeal made with coconut water, dried, flaked coconut and dried papaya but weren't sure if you could heat the water.
I'm also somebody who likes it fresh but didn't like the bottled stuff.
Harmless Harvest's coconut water is actually raw and tastes like fresh coconut water. You can find it at Whole Foods.
Coconut water alone doesn't appeal to me, but use it in oatmeal - it's delicious! I've noticed that different brands of Coconut water vary in sugar content, so always good to compare labels.
I feel like it's a bad fad.
I want to, but just can't do the bottle thing either. It reminds me of lickable postage stamps... that sweet chemical taste. Blagh!
The only coconut water I'll by is Taste of Nirvana. It actually has a deep round flavor that is very coconutty....not fake and soap tasting like every other brand I've tried... They also have one with chunks of Aloe that I like, as well as one with coconut pulp, and of course, plain :)
Like several others, I love every part of a coconut...except the water. I don't like it out of a fresh coconut for 12 rupees on the side of the road and I don't like it bottled. Something about the smell and taste makes me a bit nauseous. (Funnily enough, I have had a few people tell me that coconut water is a great remedy for nausea.)
I recently thought I should try again and got a package of coconut water when it was on sale at Costco. While I still don't care for it straight up I've been using it up in smoothies.
I haven't had a chance to try Harmless Harvest from Whole Foods, but it you can't get to a health food store your regular grocery store should carry Zico (pictured above). I've had plain, dark chocolate, mango and pineapple and they're all really good. Steer clear of Vita Coco though, that brand just didn't do it for me at all.
i love fresh coconut juice over bottled options too!
i'm from Singapore (South East Asia) and have ready access to fresh young Thai coconut juice, which is the best! When I was in California last year, I tried ZICO and really hated it.
recently, i was served a canned option and thought i would hate it, but it turns out it's the only one brand which is closest to the refreshing taste of a fresh young Thai coconut.
http://sg105395406.trustpass.alibaba.com/viewimg/picture.html?picture=http://i01.i.aliimg.com/photo/v0/112726207/Young_Coconut_Juice_with_Pulp_Light_low.jpg
The brand's COOL (pictured on the right hand side of the pic above). I'm not sure if you guys can find it at your side of the world though - try Asian/Thai supermarkets/grocery shops since it seems to be manufactured in Thailand!
coconut water is a great source of electrolytes, keeping body well hydrated.