In the Alchemist's Kitchen - Vol 7 Coconut Ceviché
When it's hot outside, I really don't want to cook, do you? On these hot dog days of summer, I dream of cold foods like gazpacho, salads, and a tribute to summer itself, ceviché. Ceviché ticks all my boxes for summer deliciousness: fresh seafood, lime marinade, red onions, cilantro, and packs super well to take with you on a picnic or to the beach. The seafood, most typically shrimp or white fish, cooks by using the acidity in the lime to unfold or denature the proteins in the seafood.
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| Shrimp Ceviche |
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| Molecular Gastronomy Winners 2014 - Savory on the left and Sweet on the Right |
Ceviché with a Molecular Twist by Noel McCann and Mike Podgorski Ceviche of Shrimp
4 lbs of shrimp, deveined and blanched for 1-2 minutes
1.5 cups of cilantro
6 serrano chilies
3 red onions
4-6 limes, juiced
2-3 lemons, juiced
2 cucumbers
Finely chop the cilantro, chilies, cucumbers, and onions. Chop the shrimp separately, combine with chopped vegetables in a mixing bowl, and add the juices. Stir gently with a spatula, until the ingredients are well incorporated. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Roti
3 cups flour
4 lbs of shrimp, deveined and blanched for 1-2 minutes
1.5 cups of cilantro
6 serrano chilies
3 red onions
4-6 limes, juiced
2-3 lemons, juiced
2 cucumbers
Finely chop the cilantro, chilies, cucumbers, and onions. Chop the shrimp separately, combine with chopped vegetables in a mixing bowl, and add the juices. Stir gently with a spatula, until the ingredients are well incorporated. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Roti
3 cups flour
1 cup shredded coconut (or 3/4 cups desiccated coconut soaked in 1/4 cup of water)
Mix the ingredients in a bowl. Next add cold water little by little so that all the ingredients come together to form a dough. Take care not to get it too wet. If the dough is too wet add a little bit of flour. Knead the dough and break into balls of about 2" diameter. Flatten on a floured board, then cook on a heated heavy bottom pan till golden brown on both sides under medium heat.
Pol Sambol
2 cups grated coconut
2-4 tbsp of chili powder
1/2 tsp of chili pepper flakes
3/4 cups hot water
1/2 red onion finely diced
2 limes
Soak grated coconut in warm water for a few minutes. Squeeze out the water. Using a mortar and pestle, grind chili powder, flakes and salt. Add onions and coconut to the mixture. Mix together and add lime juice and salt.
Cilantro-Lime Coconut Milk “Yogurt” Foam
4 cup plain coconut-milk “yogurt” (cultured coconut milk)
1 cup cream
12 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)
4 tsp ground cumin
4 whole freshly minced garlic clove
4 large bunch freshly chopped cilantro
Mix all ingredients with cream without over whipping.
Pour the yogurt mix into a whipping siphon and refrigerate for an hour
2 cups grated coconut
2-4 tbsp of chili powder
1/2 tsp of chili pepper flakes
3/4 cups hot water
1/2 red onion finely diced
2 limes
Soak grated coconut in warm water for a few minutes. Squeeze out the water. Using a mortar and pestle, grind chili powder, flakes and salt. Add onions and coconut to the mixture. Mix together and add lime juice and salt.
Cilantro-Lime Coconut Milk “Yogurt” Foam
4 cup plain coconut-milk “yogurt” (cultured coconut milk)
1 cup cream
12 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)
4 tsp ground cumin
4 whole freshly minced garlic clove
4 large bunch freshly chopped cilantro
Mix all ingredients with cream without over whipping.
Pour the yogurt mix into a whipping siphon and refrigerate for an hour
To Assemble: Take a roti, layer on approx 2 T of ceviche, sprinkle on the Pol Sambol and add a splotch of Yogurt Foam and serve......
Ceviché with a Molecular Twist: Scientific Report by Mike Podgorski and Noel McCann
The fruit of the coconut palm is botanically classified as a drupe. It consists of an outer husk and then a hard shell that protects the seed. Inside the shell, there is a liquid (often called coconut water) and a white fleshy solid called the copra (sometimes referred to as the coconut “meat”). Together, these components nourish the embryo of the seed. Coconuts float around on water until the waves eventually deposit them on a shore, where they grow into new coconut palms.
Many components of the coconut are considered to be quintessential for features of the diets of people living in tropical areas, particularly in Central America, the Caribbean, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The coconut plant originates in Asia, one cultivar hailing from the tropical islands belonging to the Philippines and Malaysia and another from India and Sri Lanka. Curiously, the two cultivars are genetically distinct, meaning that the coconuts from the two regions are separate from one another. For example, a small number of Southeast Asian coconut plants self-pollinate and often have dwarf habits. The Austronesian peoples exported their cultivated coconut plants to destinations as far as Madagascar, East Africa and even Panama, with the former two regions coming into contact with Indian coconuts exported by Arab traders. Eventually, the Portuguese introduced the Indian variant to West Africa, establishing plantations that eventually allowed European companies to export their coconut plants and products to coastal Brazil and the Caribbean.
The plant is considered to be “the Swiss Army knife” of the plant kingdom thanks to its versatility. The western world mostly knows the coconut for the unique, oily flavor of its flesh. However, people have also found use for the liquid endosperm, or “coconut water” as a refreshing beverage rich in potassium, fiber, and antioxidants. Moreover, coconut milk is a key ingredient for tropical cuisines, as it adds rich flavor due to the presence of oils found within the flesh grated to make the product.
Nutritionally, coconuts and particularly coconut oil are very strange. The copra is rich in fat, and coconut oil is made from drying and pressing the copra to extract those fats. Most plant oils are predominantly made of unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats have at least one double bond in their carbon chains. The double bond causes a “kink” in their molecular structure, which lowers their melting points. Therefore, most plant oils are liquid at room temperature. Coconut oil and other tropical plant oils are made of mostly saturated fats, as are most dairy and animal fats. Like animal fats, these oils are solid at room temperature; coconut oil has a melting point of about 80°F. However, these tropical oils have an even higher concentration of saturated fats than animal fats have. Saturated fats make up 90% of the fats in coconut oil, as compared to 60% in butter.
Nutritionally, coconuts and particularly coconut oil are very strange. The copra is rich in fat, and coconut oil is made from drying and pressing the copra to extract those fats. Most plant oils are predominantly made of unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats have at least one double bond in their carbon chains. The double bond causes a “kink” in their molecular structure, which lowers their melting points. Therefore, most plant oils are liquid at room temperature. Coconut oil and other tropical plant oils are made of mostly saturated fats, as are most dairy and animal fats. Like animal fats, these oils are solid at room temperature; coconut oil has a melting point of about 80°F. However, these tropical oils have an even higher concentration of saturated fats than animal fats have. Saturated fats make up 90% of the fats in coconut oil, as compared to 60% in butter.
Because of the high concentration of saturated fats, coconut oil was viewed as incredibly unhealthy a few decades ago. Research had linked saturated fats and coconut oil to heart disease. However, newer research has called into question some of these findings. Studies linking coconut oil to health problems had mostly used partially hydrogenated coconut oil, which contains trans fats. Like unsaturated fats, trans fats also have a double bond in their carbon chains. However, in trans fats the double bond is of a different shape that does not cause the “kink” in the molecular structure. Current research suggests that trans fats are extremely unhealthy. Unprocessed coconut oil does not contain any trans fat. Modern nutritional recommendations no longer say to avoid coconut oil, but still suggest consuming it in moderation, as is advised for all fats.
Recently, coconut oil has become the target of a health craze. Extraordinary claims are being made about all the different health benefits of coconut oil. Central to most of these claims is that the saturated fats in coconut oil are not the same as the saturated fats from animals. Coconut oil is mostly composed of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs are loosely defined as fats with fatty acids which have chains of about 6-14 carbons. Animal fats tend to have a greater proportion of long-chain triglycerides (LCTs). Research performed on MCT oil (made from the fatty acids caprylic acid and capric acid) suggests that these types of fats are processed differently. MCTs seem to get processed in the liver and burned immediately for energy, whereas LCTs are used more for energy storage.
These findings lead some proponents to suggest that a diet high in coconut oil can be effective for weight loss. However while MCT oil can be extracted from coconut oil, caprylic and capric acid make up less than 15% of the fatty acids in coconut oil. Some studies have tested coconut oil or MCTs in general and have found that increase MCT intake tends to lead to less overall caloric intake over a period of time. However, these experiments have been too small scale or too short in duration to provide sufficient evidence. For medical experts to recommend increased MCT intake, studies must show that it is healthy in the long term and does not produce adverse side effects.
Proponents also suggest that coconut oil may be used to treat diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Since MCTs are processed immediately in the liver, some advocates suggest they might help regulate blood sugar and be useful for diabetics. However, insufficient evidence has been gathered, and the American Diabetes Association still recommends minimizing saturated fat intake. The claim about Alzheimer’s disease has a different rationale. There is preliminary evidence suggesting that ketogenic states might be beneficial for Alzheimer’s patients, and coconut oil has compounds that are thought to induce ketogenic states. Early studies on treating Alzheimer’s with caprylic acid (which can be derived coconut oil) showed promise, but the studies were canceled before full scale tests could be performed to get sufficient evidence. Therefore, the Alzheimer’s Association’s official statement is that there is no evidence to support a beneficial effect of coconut oil on Alzheimer’s disease.
Nutritional thinking about coconut oil has had a strange history. While coconut oil is no longer thought to be harmful, the recent claims about its health benefits do not have sufficient evidence supporting them without further research.
Sources
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/06/health/la-he-coconut-water-20110306
http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/22438.aspx
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/dining/02Appe.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1799
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/03/04/coconut-oil-benefits_n_2805109.html
http://blog.alz.org/why-arent-you-researching-coconut-oil-or-insert-other-substance-here/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8696422
http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/making-healthy-food-choices/fats-and-diabetes.html
http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/796511/104457/oil-diabetes/
Recently, coconut oil has become the target of a health craze. Extraordinary claims are being made about all the different health benefits of coconut oil. Central to most of these claims is that the saturated fats in coconut oil are not the same as the saturated fats from animals. Coconut oil is mostly composed of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs are loosely defined as fats with fatty acids which have chains of about 6-14 carbons. Animal fats tend to have a greater proportion of long-chain triglycerides (LCTs). Research performed on MCT oil (made from the fatty acids caprylic acid and capric acid) suggests that these types of fats are processed differently. MCTs seem to get processed in the liver and burned immediately for energy, whereas LCTs are used more for energy storage.
These findings lead some proponents to suggest that a diet high in coconut oil can be effective for weight loss. However while MCT oil can be extracted from coconut oil, caprylic and capric acid make up less than 15% of the fatty acids in coconut oil. Some studies have tested coconut oil or MCTs in general and have found that increase MCT intake tends to lead to less overall caloric intake over a period of time. However, these experiments have been too small scale or too short in duration to provide sufficient evidence. For medical experts to recommend increased MCT intake, studies must show that it is healthy in the long term and does not produce adverse side effects.
Proponents also suggest that coconut oil may be used to treat diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Since MCTs are processed immediately in the liver, some advocates suggest they might help regulate blood sugar and be useful for diabetics. However, insufficient evidence has been gathered, and the American Diabetes Association still recommends minimizing saturated fat intake. The claim about Alzheimer’s disease has a different rationale. There is preliminary evidence suggesting that ketogenic states might be beneficial for Alzheimer’s patients, and coconut oil has compounds that are thought to induce ketogenic states. Early studies on treating Alzheimer’s with caprylic acid (which can be derived coconut oil) showed promise, but the studies were canceled before full scale tests could be performed to get sufficient evidence. Therefore, the Alzheimer’s Association’s official statement is that there is no evidence to support a beneficial effect of coconut oil on Alzheimer’s disease.
Nutritional thinking about coconut oil has had a strange history. While coconut oil is no longer thought to be harmful, the recent claims about its health benefits do not have sufficient evidence supporting them without further research.
Sources
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/06/health/la-he-coconut-water-20110306
http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/22438.aspx
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/dining/02Appe.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1799
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/03/04/coconut-oil-benefits_n_2805109.html
http://blog.alz.org/why-arent-you-researching-coconut-oil-or-insert-other-substance-here/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8696422
http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/making-healthy-food-choices/fats-and-diabetes.html
http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/796511/104457/oil-diabetes/
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