Why Coconut Milk Curdles In Curry — And How To Fix It

Coconut milk is a useful but often finicky ingredient. While it can be very helpful for making tasty marinades, it is also prone to turning solid in storage, making it harder to work with. It also doesn't help that many people do not know how to cook with coconut milk, which is why it often curdles during the cooking process.

For those inexperienced with making curry, chances are the coconut milk has curdled while being mixed in. The reason behind this is usually quite straightforward: The temperature is turned up too high. Once it starts curdling, the best thing you can do is bring the heat down to avoid further curdling.

Since many curry recipes call for coconut milk, this issue is a common occurrence. Generally speaking, the trick with coconut milk is to keep the temperature down and stir it gently when mixing. This applies to more than just curry too; implement these tricks when poaching fish in coconut milk or while making porridges or desserts.

Ideally, a flat and wide spatula should be used when mixing coconut milk into curry. It is also important to keep timing in mind when adding coconut milk. Coconut milk should be added after all the meat and vegetables have been sauteed; it is also imperative to not boil the mixture once the coconut milk has been added, as the increase in temperature could curdle the milk.

If your coconut milk has already begun curdling, the most important thing to do is reduce the heat drastically. Coconut milk is best added over a low to medium heat. From there, you can focus on removing any curdled chunks from the curry.

To remove curdled pieces, first you should remove large solids like the meat and vegetables. After that, add 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of tapioca starch a little bit over time. As it incorporates, the coconut milk should stop curdling and the meat and vegetables can be added back to the curry.