Ginataan, alternatively spelled guinataan, is a Filipino term which refers to food cooked with gatâ. Literally translated, ginataan means "done with coconut milk". Due to the general nature of the term, it can refer to a number of different dishes, each called ginataan, but distinct from one another.
Top: Ginataang kalabasa (calabaza and string beans in coconut milk) with shrimp; Bottom: Ginataang mais, a dessert rice gruel (lugaw) with sweet corn and coconut milk
Image: Ginataang kalabasa at hipon (shrimp, calabaza, green beans, and eggplant in coconut milk) Philippines
Ginataang ampalaya, bitter melon and tinapa in coconut milk
Laing, taro leaves with meat or seafood in coconut milk
Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ingredient used in Southeast Asia, Oceania, South Asia, and East Africa. It is also used for cooking in the Caribbean, tropical Latin America, and West Africa, where coconuts were introduced during the colonial era.
Coconut milk
Coconut being grated
Grated coconut being pressed through cheesecloth
Thick coconut cream derived from the first pressings of the grated coconut