Toasted Latik (Toasted Coconut Curd)

Latík refers to two different ingredients in the Philippine cuisine. In the north it refers to toasted or roasted latik -- solid coconut curds left when coconut milk is cooked until it turns to oil. It is used as garnishing for a variety of desserts like biko, suman, kalamay, maja blanca and many more.  In the Visayas (Central Philippines) it refers to coconut caramel, a thick syrupy caramelized coconut cream  used as a dessert condiment.

Latik is characterized by its sweet nutty aroma and its soft oily texture perfect for garnishing desserts in the Philippines that are mainly rice or glutinous rice-based.

Toasted Latik

Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 1/2 cup

Ingredients:

2 (24 oz.) cans coconut milk 
or 4 cups kakang gata (pure coconut milk extracted from grated meat of a mature coconut)

Procedure:

1. Heat saucepan and pour in the coconut milk. 
   
2. Bring the coconut milk to a boil.
   
3. Stir the coconut milk until most of the liquid evaporate. This will take about 12 to 15 minutes per cup of coconut milk.
   
4. When the texture turns gelatinous, lower the heat and continue stirring. Oil should be separating from the milk at this stage.
   
5. Continue stitrring until brownish residues are formed. 
   
6. Turn off the heat. Separate the toasted curds from the oil by using a strainer. Save the oil. Place the latik in a separate container.