Chicken in Coconut Sauce

[kim55]

This is a recipe I modified and want to share. Caution: I think the coconut milk contains some fructose, but it should be OK if you are not too sensitive.

2 lbs boneless chicken breast (4 1/2 breasts)
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
chili pepper to taste
1/4-1/2 tsp. basil (fresh or dried)
oil for pan

Brown chicken in oil. Salt to taste. While chicken is browning, add onions, garlic, chili pepper, and ginger. Chili pepper should turn oil reddish-brown. When chicken is almost done, add lime juice, cook 1-2 minutes more, then add coconut milk and stir. Simmer in coconut milk 15-20 minutes. Garnish with basil. Serve with white rice, cooked frozen peas, and (for the others eating with you) pineapple or mango.

[ukbill]

Sounds fantastic however I have to ask.. Kim have you been diagnosed HFI?

The reason I ask is Onion is usually a no-no for most HFI.

I can tolerate a little if its cooked right however I always feel a little "off" for a few days afterwards if I use much of it.

The only way I can take onion is slow fried until nice and brown all over.

If I want the taste but to play safe I'll fry a lot of onion first in the oil then remove all the onion and fry the chicken, beef, pork fish or fried egg... mmm yum!

I always use Shallots rather than onion.

For example for equivalent taste 1" of a banana Shallot or one small shallot (the size of a small pickled onion) = 1 medium / large sized onion.

More taste less onion = result!

[colormist]

I also thought coconut was a no-no for HFIers. :\

Onions I skip all the time. Way too sensitive for any amount of onion.

[anastazya]

I thought so too Colormist. Can't have ether one as well. Hoping that might change....but have never liked onions, so probably not.

[ukbill]

I have recently found some Coconut that claims to be sugar free!

Whole Coconut was one thing I always loved but it did not like me if you understand?

I found both the dried Coconut milk and Coconut "Cream" that claim to be Sugar free.

Tried both and so far no reaction at all, however I have not risked it when I'm on a "sensitive cycle".

Makes great "sticky rice". Replace part of the fluid in your microwavable bowl with Coconut cream or Milk or use normal amount of water and add Coconut milk powder to the rice, then Microwave for 12 min on full power or until cooked through as normal.

I grated some fresh Ginger into seasoned flour with the grated zest and juice of a lemon added water and whisked. Dipped floured fish pieces into the mix and pan fried in mix of ground nut oil and a little toasted Sesame seed oil to add a nutty taste .. it was fantastic!

Next time I will try it with a cold sauce made from plain Yoghurt or Sour Cream and a few finely chopped fresh mint leaves, mixed together and left covered in a fridge for a few hours before use for the flavour to infuse.

This is great with Lamb in place of "Mint Sauce" which always has sugar added to bought varieties and has the troublesome addition of Vinegar as well.

I would think Sticky Coconut rice might be good for home made sushi? Coconut and fish do go together very well after all.

Its worth testing a little if you can find the Sugar free varieties where you live?

If you find it tolerable then the amount of recipes / alternatives it opens up is amazing!

Enjoy

[anastazya]

Coconut has fructose in it. I can't have it, but I can't eat most foods right now. Would be really good for those who are not as sensitive.

Sounds wonderful....except for the lemon, sour cream/yogurt, ginger, and coconut part. : )

[shereebailey83]

I think this recipe sounds great, i can tolerate a minor amount of onion and usually just fry it off in the oil as well.. i seem to be fine with a small amount of coconut milk (but shredded coconut put me in bed for days so adding some fresh cream with the a little bit of coconut milk may be a nice alternative for the extra sensitive. I have to ask about ginger however, i thought it was a no-no for hfi??

[colormist]

Ginger seems to be a no-no for me (several failed attempts here). I can tolerate the ginger spice, however.

[ukbill]

I use fresh Ginger if I am going to be using it.

I suspect the dried powdered stuff sometimes is adulterated with other things like sugars! I occasionally have had problems with powdered Ginger but never with the fresh root.

Although the amount I put in is very small, so perhaps I'm not putting in enough to make a reaction? but I can taste it all right!

Ginger comes from hot climate countries so dos not need to have large amounts of sugar present as an "anti-freeze" as in root vegetables from cold climate countries.

Ginger uses its "spice" as a deterrent to other things that fancy eating it which is what we like!

However I think if anyone had only Ginger root to eat they would soon be very ill from eating it.

Its a case of a little of what you fancy doing you good but a lot will make you very ill, a bit like Beer really

[kim55]

Hi, I haven't been on this board for a while. In answer to Ukbill, no, I have never been officially diagnosed with HFI, but I have been unable to tolerate sugar or sweets since birth. (My mother complains about how I used to spit out applesauce when I was a baby.) When I would tell my doctors that "sugar makes me sick" they would tell me, "Then don't eat it." I am 55 years old and I did not realize until I was 32 and the doctor gave me a glucose tolerance test (because I was pregnant) that it was only fructose that made me extremely weak and nauseated, even when I wanted to eat it or when I accidently ate something that contained it. This is not an allergy because you can't be allergic to sugar and I do have some food allergies but the reaction to those foods is completely different (itching and hives). So I have been avoiding sugar and cooking without it my entire life. (But I do crave sweetarts and pixie sticks, like everyone else here.)

I can tolerate extremely small amounts of sugar (amounts so small that normal people would not even notice it), but usually only if I drink an entire glass of milk with it (I think for the lactose) or if I go on a protein binge. If neither of these is available, something high in fat and salt (like potato chips) helps. Also, I avoid cooking methods like carmelizing onions that would convert starch to sugar. So I do have a problem with onion soup but I can use small amounts of onion cooked just to the clear stage for flavoring. Anyone reading my recipes would have to use their own judgement.

Asian cooking is especially a problem because so many of the recipes contain sugar. In a Chinese restaurant, even when I go through my regular explanation, (white sauce only, no sugar, no fruit, no brown sauce, no plum sauce), I only get something I can eat about 50% of the time. My favorite Thai restaurant manages to make me a version of pad thai that I can eat, but every published recipe I have ever seen for pad thai contains huge amounts of sugar. So I have been developing a few Asian-style recipes that I can tolerate and cook at home. The one I posted here is the one that has been the most successful with my family. The coconut milk that I use shows only 1g of sugar in a 1/3 cup (79 ml) serving. It has never made me sick, but once again use your own judgement.

[ukbill]

Hi Kim thanks for your detailed answer.. Yes it sounds like HFI to me.

Funny though I cannot take onion that is cooked to "translucent" I have to cook mine slowly till its all caramelised if I'm going to have it.. however I find now at my age (also 55) that every time I eat onion I get "bad gut" type digestion problems so now I fry a small amount of shallot (a strong type of onion) in oil then remove the onion form the oil before cooking anything else..

I find an egg fried in onion oil is fantastic on top of a good steak!

Which part of the world are you in?

Glad you see, to be well adapted to the situation.

Keep smiling