12023 My First Chicken Korma in Italy

With you on the need for coconut milk/cream for the Korma. I bought some in Lidl some time ago but unable to get it since. The supermarket in Termini station in Rome has a good foreign food section. Try adding a small brick pack of Panna for a great creamy taste!
Excuse me while I drool.

Try this place ynot for your coconut milk, I have used them a couple of times now and they are excellent. Have no problem getting Indian spices either over here.
[url=http://www.asiaminimart.it/shop/]Asiaminimart.it, Delizie dal mondo direttamente a casa tua![/url]

Can you find coconuts easily ???

[URL="http://www.virgincoconutoil.co.uk/coconut_milk.htm"]Coconut Milk - how to make it[/URL]

I thought it was the liquid in the centre too :smile:

We can get coconut milk, or even a sort of dessicated coconut milk which you grate - (nothing like dessicated coconut, but keeps for ever) - in Pam supermarkets in Umbria. Probably elsewhere.
Ground almonds are more difficult except when almonds are in season - at that time of year just carry some shelled almonds up from the fruit counter and ask the person on the deli counter to grind them for you. Or, out of season when you can only buy the shelled almonds in small packets, your household coffee grinder is pretty effective. It is peculiar that ground almonds are not so easy to find, because there are many Italian recipes (for dolce) which require them.

[quote=ynot46;114819] I don't want to obsess about the coconut milk but has anyone found this in Italy without having to buy a whole coconut?

Tony[/quote]

If there is one near to you, Carrefour sell the small cans of coconut milk in their 'exotic' food section.

Hi Tony

Are there any 'ethnic' shops near you in Cesena? Is there an Indian sub.cont. community near you, if so they must be able to get a supply of the ingredients you need. You could ask locally?. Here in Tuscany there is a chain of supermarkets - Esselunga and they have a small 'ethic' section where they do have small tins of coconut milk. But, better still there are a couple of 'ethnic' shop where not only can we get asian spices, coconut milk etc. but also PG tips and porridge.

To make coconut milk you really need really fresh coconuts because the flesh goes rancid very quickly. You grate the fresh flesh and mix well with water and then squeeze out the resulting liquid - coconut milk, you can repeat the process for a thinner milk.. ....mixed memories of my time in Malaysia at ex mother in laws house when her cook would make coconut milk every morning after her trip to the market to buy fresh spices and coconuts. References to thick and thin coconut milk refer to the above.

Coconut water, a refreshing drink, is the liquid in the centre of the coconut. The younger the coconut the more liquid there is.
Good Luck

Hi Charles
I think the reason for absence of ground almonds is that they go stale very very quickly and the italian requirement for freshness means that here you buy the whole almonds - with skin on if possible (they stay fresher this way), remove skin, (soak in just boiled water, remove when skins feel loose) dry and then grind.

hey thanks guys! My mouth was watering reading through this thread!
Tony

usually you can find all you need in a chinese supermarket, and they are quite common in Italy now..

Hi we found cocount cream and coconut milk in Oasi (Ascoli Piceno) last week and as others are saying many supermarkets are now stocking 'oriental/indian' style food.
Jo

I had already decided that the issue of curry availability was going to be one of the problems to be solved when living in Italy. My preference is for a stonkingly hot curry so this thread is fascinating.

[quote=Lollita;114825]Can you find coconuts easily ???

[URL="http://www.virgincoconutoil.co.uk/coconut_milk.htm"]Coconut Milk - how to make it[/URL]

I thought it was the liquid in the centre too :smile:[/quote]

Blimey, how do you milk a coconut......do they have teats? :laughs:

wynot46
Thinking about your problems and coconut milk, etc. We were making a Thai Yellow curry last night, with of course the coconut milk. I usually order about 18 cans everytime from the place I mentioned above. If rice is excluded from the basic order, then anything over E100 is free delivery and then you can add as much rice as you want.
Would it be a good idea, for a group of people to get together if they are interested and make up an order? If you pay on delivery, it is only E6 extra to the cost.

had the same problem many years ago in Belgium - biggest problem was the fresh coriander so I took to growing it myself from seed- the other ingredients were so readily available I was still using the chilli powder I bought by the kilo until I noticed the best before date was 1990. I decided enough - push the boundaries but not that far. I then bought some chilli powder in a UK supermarket and immediately came out in a humungus rash - so I buy chillies and dry them myself

[quote=Nielo;114852]I can get coconut milk and butter very easily in most big supermarkets here and almonds in even the little ones (Aretina is right; buy whole and grind your own)

I have a stock of frozen ginger and I grow coriander and freeze it, so no problems for me to make a curry but I really do miss a visit to an Indian restaurant.

There is a rather wonderful lady I know who has curry parties and they are always a big success.:smile:[/quote]

Seems like it's all happening in Abruzzo !

[quote=F Bower;114910]had the same problem many years ago in Belgium - biggest problem was the fresh coriander so I took to growing it myself from seed- the other ingredients were so readily available I was still using the chilli powder I bought by the kilo until I noticed the best before date was 1990. I decided enough - push the boundaries but not that far. I then bought some chilli powder in a UK supermarket and immediately came out in a humungus rash - so I buy chillies and dry them myself[/quote]

Might be a silly question but where do you get corriander seeds from? Did you bring them back from the UK?

You have just reminded me, seeds from England, can grow coriander here easily, but have always failed on rocket, so buy it cheaply in the local supermarket.
A