Coconut milk separating

[pufin3]

I want to start making more S.E. asian dishes.

Lots of them call for coconut milk.

The last couple of dishes I made with coconut milk separated leaving a terrible looking dish. Now I'm leary about using coconut milk again.

I have googled coconut milk but there is conflicting advice on how to prevent separating.

Does using lime or lemon juice (acid) cause separating? It seems logical that it would but then why do so many recipes call from lots of lime juice?

Any help is appreciated.

Edited February 14, 2016 by Smithy
Corrected spelling in title (log)

[KennethT]

Most people want their coconut milk to separate - it's called "cracking".  What kind of coconut milk are you using?  If you don't want it to separate, I'd recommend using a canned coconut milk that has some form of stabilizer in the ingredient list (which is most of them).  Most people complain that they're impossible to crack, which would be beneficial in your case.

[shain]

Kenneth is correct. It is common to boil the coconut milk and reduce it until it's solids separate from the fat, then spices and pastes are fried in the coconut oil while the coconut solids gets toasted. The film of oil on top of the dish is considered a positive thing. 

That said, it is completely acceptable to prefer an emulsified result. The best way to garntuee this is by using canned coconut milk that almost always contains stabilizers (guar gum is common). I assume that adding the milk just before serving is also likely to help. 

Edited February 14, 2016 by shain (log)

[pufin3]

Thankyou both for your help. I will make sure the CC milk I buy has a stabilizer in it.