Food & Drinks

With this drink, you want to snack and cook

Woman laughing on vacation with coconut water

Say wine, snacks or haute cuisine and the gourmands at online food magazine FavorFlav know where to drink, how to eat it and what to cook. This time our cheffies serve you: Coconut water is delicious to drink, but also great for cooking.

Coconut water has gained fame in the past decade as a particularly effective sports drink, as it is full of electrolytes that you may have sweated out during exercise. But it has been used in Southeast Asian cuisine for much longer to cook and bake, and you should definitely give that a try.

I once heard someone say that they find coconut water disgusting because it tastes and smells like a wet petting zoo. And as hilarious as I find that statement, I do not agree. But even if you prefer not to drink it pure, the possibilities in the kitchen are endless with it:

Get your coconut water
The originally Vietnamese food writer Giao Chau explains that by using coconut water, you need less refined sugars in a dish. For example, in the cooking technique kho, which is the overarching term for stews and braised dishes in which a type of protein simmers in a mix of fish or soy sauce, sugar, water, and spices. It is also used to cook pork and eggs for a traditional Vietnamese New Year's dish, and to deglaze the pan after roasting chicken for a delicious caramelized pan sauce.

No wine, no problem
Since wine is not commonly found in Vietnamese cuisine, coconut water is the logical equivalent in the kitchen and can be used in the same way when making a nice stew. The result will be a softer flavor and a lighter color. You can poach chicken, or add a splash to stir-fry dishes while cooking. Always read the packaging carefully and make sure you buy coconut water without added sugars or flavors for cooking. Also avoid the versions made from concentrate; you really want the pure stuff.

If you dissolve (less) sugar in it for example for the dipping sauce nuoc cham for the tastiest summer rolls or spring rolls, heat the coconut water first so that the sugar dissolves faster. As Chau says: ‘Everything that water can do, coconut water can do better! And it is so mild that you might not even directly distinguish it in a dish. But if it’s not in there, you will definitely wonder what’s missing…’