Organic Coconut Milk Powder Review & Rice Pudding Recipe

Organic Coconut Milk Powder Review

What is Indigo Nutrition's Organic Coconut Milk Powder? It's an evaporated coconut milk in powder form which doesn't contain casein, therefore, perfect for vegans

How does it work? The powder can be made into coconut milk or cream, by adding hot water to the ratio of 3/4 tablespoons for 250ml of water.

How organic is it? As we now know, when considering how organic a product is, not only do we have to consider the origin but, also the packaging. This product comes in a pouch which we hope is recyclable. Although, nothing indicates this on the packaging. The coconut powder is 100% organic. 

Pay attention, here come the stats. (from BBC News)

A quarter of British people are now drinking non-dairy milks, according to market research firm Mintel, who spoke to 2,000 people.

The biggest users of non-dairy milk are 16-24 year olds - 33% are drinking them.

But plant-based milks make up just 4% of the milk market, with 96% of milk sales in 2018 being for cow's milk. "Concerns around health, ethics and the environment" are driving sales of plant-based milks, says Emma Clifford, who looks after food and drink research at Mintel.

Health was the reason why 37% of 16-24 year olds said they'd reduced how much cow's milk they've been drinking in the last 12 months. The impact on the environment was also a concern among that group - with 36% saying dairy farming isn't good for the environment. 

So plant-based kinds of milk are on the up and quite rightly so. 

At Pebble Soup HQ, we have been using coconut milk a lot, added to curries or dahl such as this Prawn Sambal recipe. But it has always been coconut milk in a tin.

How does the powder differ from the tin?

The first thing I noticed was the waste management. This resealable airtight foil pouch eliminates the leftover half tins problem. It's easy to control the amount required. Tin milk appears richer but only because it is more concentrated. The powdered milk is light and doesn't overpower the other ingredients in the dish. However, for my taster recipe, I would add desiccated coconut to the dish next time to showcase the coconut taste.

Rice Pudding with Coconut Milk 

In India, rice pudding is flavoured with cardamon, in France with vanilla, For classical rice pudding, nutmeg is the spice of choice. Using Arborio rice didn't add to the taste but it baked as it absorbs more of the milk better than ordinary rice.

Ingredients
500ml of reconstituted coconut milk
70g of Arborio rice
1 tbs of sugar
a little coconut oil to grease the oven-dish
nutmeg (optional) see other options above

Oven temperature 160C

Method
Simmer the milk until hot, add the sugar.
Then the rice, let it cook for a minute

Prepare the ovenproof dish by lightly greasing the sides and bottom

Transfer the content of the pan to the dish

Slide the dish in the oven, after half an hour, take it out and give the mixture a swirl with a tablespoon.

Put back in the oven and let it cook for 45 minutes to an hour.

Serves with compote or jam.

Can be eaten hot or cold.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. The words are my own and this post reflects my opinion.

The Rosemary - Organic - Hungarian - Restaurant Review -

Would you believe it, if I told you London has only one Hungarian restaurant? By luck, The Rosemary is situated in New Cross Gate, an area of South London near me, but very likely unchartered territory for visitors and Londoners alike.

New Cross Gate is rather drab and dreary, unlike its neighbours the up and coming Deptford that has attracted a lot of food-critics' attention lately, or even New Cross, home to the famous Goldsmith University and a vibrant club-culture. In this unremarkable environment, you can't miss The Rosemary's frontage with its riot of colours, all flowering window boxes blazing.

#Farm to Table
On arrival, Mihaly Herczeg was on-hand to give us a quick tour and go through his restaurant's ethics. Mihaly comes from a long line of Hungarian farmers. The fruits and vegetables served at the Rosemary are either grown in Mihaly's organic farm in Kent or sourced organically and locally.

#Sustainability

Having eaten in a fair number of restaurants claiming to be ecologically friendly, I've learnt that a '20 miles radius menu', though very nice, doesn't make a place sustainable.

Sustainability is a package. At the Rosemary, the furniture, wooden chairs, booths, tables have been hand-built by Mihaly's son. Not only does this give such large premises a warm feeling, but it also cuts down on carbon footprints.

To complete the rustic decor, the plates are made and fired on the kiln at the back, and at the front of the house, there is an aquaponic system. Now, this is sustainability.

#Organic

Most things are made from scratch, from bread to cottage cheese, soups and sauces, noodles and pancakes. The menu comes complete with an extensive selection of organic wines curated by the sought-after sommelier, Roland Szimeiszter. Prices start at £12 for a bottle of white wine, a little more for the reds. We started with a glass of crisp Szóló, Frivolo from the Tokaj area. I was probably asking too many questions, as with the next glass, I was presented with an encyclopedia of Hungarian wine areas. I can now tell you that Hungary has 20 different wine regions...... There is definitely a good-natured atmosphere at The Rosemary

#Hungarian

You'll be hard pushed to argue that Eastern European cuisine is best sampled in the summer. Therefore, visiting The Rosemary on the warmest day of a very hot  June might have been a mistake. An oversight that 20 odd other people were happy to make. Not bad attendance on a weekday.

The service was friendly and smooth, it did cross my mind that on a busy musical winter weekend day, more staff would be required to maintain this level of interaction.

We were happy to let Mihaly choose provided that anything cabbagy would remain in the cubby hole. He picked from the list of authentic Hungarian specialities such goulash, stuffed pancakes, brie strudel with blueberry sauce. 

Let's press the pause button for a minute, and let me tell you, how delightful blueberry jam/sauce is. It might be due to the blueberries purpleness which contains terpenes also found in cinnamon, good for the immune system. In my opinion, we don't eat enough blue food. Health is another important factor in this restaurant. Regulars will have noticed a profound change in the menu which now doesn't offer anymore fried food.

A new ingredient is always a pleasure. Next to the familiar orangy paprika sauce, there were little creamy worm-like things. These are Nokedlies, egg dumplings, delicate and soft. There was little room left for dessert but here it is another tradition, 'Don't dare to leave without eating your pudding'.

The way Mihaly Herczeg presents us with a whole sustainable package anchored in tradition is noteworthy. His genuine bonhomie, his love for music, food and good company is obvious. And if happiness is a full tummy, then The Rosemary makes a lot of clients very very happy.

The Rosemary
178 New Cross Road
London
SE14 5AA

Tel 020 7998 6922
email: info@therosemary.london

If you'd like to read more about this restaurant head to Cook Sister where Jeanne interviewed the owner.

Disclaimer: I was invited with a guest to review The Rosemary. Words and opinions are my own.