Knowledge Base > Char Nolan - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

Char Nolan - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

This event was on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at 11:00 am Pacific, 2:00 pm Eastern

Join Chef Char Nolan in her virtual office as she welcomes all of your questions. This event was created for you and we encourage you to ask anything – from cooking techniques to cou… Read More.

Recorded

Question:

When making Thai dishes, I’ve found “Grace” brand coconut milk powder. Have you used it? Water to coconut, 2:1. Wondering if you can suggest always using the canned stuff or give this a go?

— Hilda P J

Answer:

Okay. I don't use any coconut products, but what I do do is I will make homemade oat milk that will make it a little thicker. And then this company, Frontier, makes a really high quality coconut extract, and I will add the coconut extract to taste so that it gives the same sort of coconut flavor that you often see in Thai dishes. And as for the canned stuff, I don't use it because of the fat content. Some of you may know that I worked with the Esselstyns for, oh, maybe a good 10 years, and I was able to learn firsthand the dos and don'ts of what not to eat in terms of foods that are very high in fat, and one of them is coconut milk, and even the low-fat version isn't good. But I had done some recipe testing, oh, maybe about 10 years ago for Rip and Jane, and a recipe that they had given me called for using a plant milk and then using the coconut extract. And that's how I learned to make that. I like to make my own oat milk so that the texture is very similar to what you would find in a coconut milk that you would get in the can. But I'm going to look for the powder. I would love to read the label and see what kind of information it has.
Char Nolan

Char Nolan

Plant-Based Connector/Chef Instructor

@char_nolan