A-Z of unusual ingredients: Coconut oil

Not that long ago chefs searching for a bottle of olive oil had to ferret about in chemists, somewhere between the TCP and cotton buds. It might seem like a scene from the past. But when my father was sent to find coconut oil for my mum's fish curry, he ended up in the beauty section of an Indian shop on Leicester's Belgrave Road, sheepishly picking out a pot from the rows of hair products. Despite its increasing popularity, coconut oil remains a somewhat elusive ingredient.

References to coconut oil are cropping up everywhere - from Gwyneth Paltrow's recent cookbook, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great, to the southern Indian episodes of Rick Stein's BBC series, In Search of the Perfect Curry. Victoria's Secret model Miranda Kerr supposedly "will not go a day without coconut oil", while Naamyaa Café chef Libor Dobis refers to it as "a must for anyone's pantry". Over the past year, sales of the 200g pots of Biona's Organic Virgin coconut oil have increased 112 per cent with the 800g pots experiencing an enormous 345 per cent boom in sales. All this begs the question - why has coconut oil suddenly got so big?

In the past, coconut oil has been the victim to nutritional misinformation. It does have very high levels of saturated fat - 92 per cent, compared to butter's 63 per cent. But the key difference is that the saturated fat in coconut oil is mainly made up of medium-chain fatty acids. These are far easier to burn off than the long-chain fatty acids found in other saturated fats, and have been said to actively increase metabolisms, rather than wallow round the waistline.

Coconut oil also contains lauric acid, which is otherwise found in human breast milk. It's known to have antiviral properties, and is another reason that coconut oil is a serious health food contender. Some claim it is capable of "melting away kidney stones" and even slowing the onset of Alzheimer's.

"No other dietary oil comes close to matching the health benefits associated with coconut oil," says Dr Bruce Fife, director of the Coconut Research Centre. "As people in the UK learn more about, and experience the benefits of coconut oil, it will soar in popularity, just as it has in the US, Canada, and Australia."

Aside from its health benefits, interest in coconut oil has increased thanks to the raw food movement, and the growing popularity of vegan diets. The oil has a solid, lard-like consistency below 24°C, so can be used to replace butter in recipes where the texture is important - like rubbed crumble toppings, or pastry. When heated, the oil turns into a clear liquid, and remains stable at high temperatures, making it ideal for frying.

The nutty-sweet flavours of coconut oil mean that it's a popular ingredient in South Indian and South East Asian recipes. Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochar uses it in his meen moilee fish curry, saying that "it's really complimentary, and adds a distinct taste profile". Angus Denoon, founder of The Jhal Muri Express, uses it for cooking finger aubergines, flavouring the oil with mustard seeds, cinnamon bark, ginger and coriander stalks. And Rick Stein notes how "coconut oil is an important seasoning for dishes such as thoran" - a traditional Keralan dish of chopped and fried vegetables.

Not every coconut oil imparts big flavours though. 'Refined' oils are made from dried coconut kernels known as copra. They are "refined, bleached and deodorised" (symbolised by RBD on the label), meaning that the oil is unscented. Refined oils have a higher smoking point (230°C) than unrefined varieties (177°C) - so it's a good choice for deep-frying, or for using in recipes which wouldn't benefit from tropical coconut flavours.

Unrefined coconut oils - like Biona or Lucy Bee - are made from fresh coconut meat, and retain distinctive coconut flavours. The oil is made by either quickly drying the coconut meat and machine-pressing it, or 'wet-milling' - where the oil is separated from the coconut milk through boiling or fermentation.

"Unrefined coconut oil has a delicate coconut aroma, and can be used as a spread instead of butter," says Petrina Grint, from Lucy Bee's Coconut Oil Company. "Taste is, obviously, such a personal thing, but when coconut oil is heated and cooked with, it tends to enhance flavours rather than dominate a dish."

In her book Superfood Kitchen, Julie Morris notes that: "just like varieties of olive oils, different brands of coconut oil will vary in coconut-flavour intensity - some are mild and buttery, others richly tropical". So use a refined oil for a plain pie crust, but choose a big, punchy unrefined coconut oil if you're looking to introduce a tropical edge to a dish - whether that's a traditional Keralan fish curry or a superfood lemon and coconut breakfast bar.

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