There are a lot of recipes with coconut milk for daily meals, and the shrimp with coconut milk sauce recipe is one of them. The creamy coconut milk combines very well with shrimp, making a great dish to enjoy with rice.
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What is coconut milk?
There are two types of liquids extracted from coconut, a famous tropical fruit: coconut water and coconut milk. Coconut water is the liquid inside the coconut; the younger the coconut is, the more delicious the coconut water is.
If you crack open the coconut, the white, firm flesh inside is coconut meat, which is used to extract coconut milk. The coconut meat is grated and mixed with a bit of water, then squeezed to extract coconut milk.
Although fresh coconut milk is the best, it’s not easy to make it from scratch. I once bought a coconut from a nearby supermarket, and it took me a whole night to crack it open because the coconut shell was too hard to be cracked by normal kitchen knives. Moreover, after that, we had to separate the white coconut meat from the shell, remove the brown skin from the coconut meat, and grate it, which takes quite some time. Therefore, canned coconut milk seems to be a convenient product for us to have coconut milk ready for cooking every time.
The texture of coconut milk is like whipping cream: it’s thick, creamy, and smooth. Coming from tropical countries, coconut milk is an ingredient in many dishes in Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, and India. Curries, soups, sweet soups, drinks, stews, and desserts are several dishes that include coconut milk.
Shrimp with Coconut Milk Sauce Recipe
Shrimp and coconut milk are a common combination in many countries, including Vietnam, with the name “tôm rim nước dừa”. My mom made it regularly for my family’s daily meals, using fresh coconut milk. My hometown (Binh Dinh, Vietnam) is famous for coconut as it is one of the main agricultural products here, which is why I always had fresh coconut milk to enjoy when I was a child.
In this recipe, I use canned coconut milk for convenience, but it would be great if you can use fresh coconut milk. Here’s the simple list of ingredients for the dish, for 4 people:
- 300g (10.5 oz) shrimp
- 200g (7 oz) coconut milk, can add more if desired
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp chili sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- Chopped spring onion
Cooking Instructions
- Preparation: Wash, remove heads and shells, and devein the shrimps. Rinse them thoroughly and pat them dry.
- Cooking the shrimp: Crush the garlic with a pestle and mortar, food processor, or simply by hand with a knife. Sauté it with 2 tbsp of oil until fragrant on medium heat, then add 1 tsp of chili sauce or passata (if you don’t eat spicy). The chili sauce/passata enhances the flavor and gives the coconut sauce a nice orange color. Then, add the shrimp and stir quickly until it is well-cooked and firms up.
- Braise: Now, braise the shrimp in coconut milk. Add coconut milk, reduce the heat, and cook until the coconut milk sauce thickens. Remember to stir the sauce regularly to avoid burning at the bottom, as coconut milk is quite thick and creamy.
- Serve: Turn off the heat and transfer the shrimp with coconut milk sauce to a dish. Garnish it with green onions on top.
Storing and Reheating
Coconut milk is not an ideal ingredient for storing for a long time, because it spoils easily. Therefore, you should only eat the dish with coconut milk within a day, and the same goes for this shrimp with coconut milk sauce. In case you would like to store it for a longer time, consider freezing it, but remember to eat it within one month.
When reheating the dish on the stove or in the microwave, use low to medium heat to avoid burning the coconut milk sauce as well as splashing.
Shrimp With Coconut Milk Sauce
Ingredients
- 300g (10.5 oz) shrimp
- 200g (7 oz) coconut milk can add more if desired
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp chili sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- Chopped spring onion
Instructions
- Preparation: Wash, remove heads and shells, and devein the shrimps. Rinse them thoroughly and pat them dry.
- Cooking the shrimp: Crush the garlic with a pestle and mortar, food processor, or simply by hand with a knife. Sauté it with 2 tbsp of oil until fragrant on medium heat, then add 1 tsp of chili sauce or passata (if you don’t eat spicy). The chili sauce/passata enhances the flavor and gives the coconut sauce a nice orange color. Then, add the shrimp and stir quickly until it is well-cooked and firms up.
- Braise: Now, braise the shrimp in coconut milk. Add coconut milk, reduce the heat, and cook until the coconut milk sauce thickens. Remember to stir the sauce regularly to avoid burning at the bottom, as coconut milk is quite thick and creamy.
- Serve: Turn off the heat and transfer the shrimp with coconut milk sauce to a dish. Garnish it with green onions on top.
Nutrition
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