Maprao (Coconut)

The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is grown across the central plains and along the Gulf coast of Thailand, and the orchards of Samut Songkhram, west of Bangkok, supply the kitchens of the capital. It is the foundation of the central Thai kitchen, where it gives the cream and milk that carry curries, desserts and sauces. The pressing of fresh coconut belongs to the daily labour of the household cook.

The ingredient is the flesh of the mature nut of Cocos nucifera, grated and pressed with water to yield coconut cream (hua kati) from the first pressing and coconut milk (hang kati) from the second and later pressings. The first pressing, made with little or no water, is thick, white and rich in fat; the later pressings are thinner and used for the body of a curry or soup. Young nuts give a clear sweet water and a soft, spoonable flesh; the mature nut gives the dense white flesh that is grated for pressing. Cream is also skimmed from the top of settled milk. Coconut oil is pressed separately and is a different product.

Coconut cream and milk are eaten with rice, which receives their richness, and with the curries, soups and desserts built on them. They are set against chilli, salt, sourness and the pungency of herbs and rhizomes, because fat rounds the heat and carries aromatic oils that water alone would not hold. With the sweetness of palm sugar they make the desserts of the central region, and with sticky rice and mango the best-known pairing of the Thai table. To drink alongside, cold water or tea suits a rich curry, since fat in the mouth is cleared by something clean and light.