A-Z of unusual ingredients: coconut oil 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. Keralan fish curry with coconut oil Serves 2 2 tablespoons coconut oil 4cm piece of ginger, grated 2 green chillies, thinly sliced 1 teaspoon turmeric powder 2 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder 200ml water 1/2 lemon, juiced 1 teaspoon salt 200g firm white fish, filleted and cut into large chunks (try halibut, pollock or coley - though red snapper is also delicious) Optional: 1 teaspoon corn flour Heat the coconut oil in a pan Add the red onion to the pan, and cook on a low heat for around 10 minutes until it softens. Add the garlic, ginger and green chilli to the pan - and stir over a low heat for 2 more minutes. Add the turmeric, Kashmiri chilli powder, and cook for a further 2 minutes, until the spices start to darken in colour. Pour the water and lemon juice into the pan, and bring up to a gentle simmer. Season the sauce with the salt, and then place the chunks of fish into the pan. Put on the lid, and simmer on a medium-low temperature for 10-12 minutes, until the fish is cooked through. If the sauce seems thin, then mix a teaspoon of corn flour or potato flour with some cold water in an egg cup, and then stir it into the sauce. Serve with rice, and pickles. Stockists Available in many health food shops or good Asian grocers - as mentioned, you may have to look in the beauty section. The Asian Cookshop, £1.95/250ml, KTC Pure Coconut Oil (refined). Online only Sous Chef, £5/200g, Biona Organic Coconut Oil (unrefined). Amazon, £9.95/500g, Lucy Bee Organic & Fair Trade Coconut Oil (unrefined). Rachel Smith blogs at The Food I Eat. Follow her on Twitter @The_FoodIEat