substitute for coconut

[sonumickey]

hi

can someone tell me what i should do to avoid coconut in foods . In foods like kulambu, kurma, curries, gravies, etc... we add coconut and boil it for some more time. Its said that when coconut is boiled , it gives out bad cholestrol. since my husband's bad cholestrol is high, i want to avoid coconut in foods.

so, can you tell me a substitute for coconut in foods, that i can use without worrying about cholestrol.

thanxs in advance
gayathri

[Sowmya]

Hi Gayathri
I have tried substituting "tofu" for coconut in aviyal,morkozhambu (curd based items!)and it tastes just fine and also gives the texture we are looking for.So in all probability you will not miss out on coconut's taste.
But I am yet to see how it works with tamarind based kozhambus ..

Regards
Sowmya :D

[dev]

I use soya chunks + pottu kadalai in place of coconut...just grind it as you do woth coconuts... but don't be very generous with soy chunks as they have a unique flavour which might spoil the kozhambu taste... Use coconut oil to season the kozhambu in this case...just 1/2 tsp will do to give out that coconut flavour...

[NM]

We use powdered (dairy) milk, mixed with warm water. Added at the end, left to boil and that's it! It tastes just as good , even the tamarind-based ones!

[dev]

yep,milk is a good substitute...