Kiwi Coulis

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The easiest kiwi coulis (kiwi puree) for all your favorite breakfast pancakes, waffles, or desserts. Simple to kiwi sauce that’s made with just a few ingredients. It’s fantastic on  chia seed pudding. 

If you are very conversant with the culinary world and chefs, you may have heard the word, “Coulis”. 

Coulis refers to a puree of fruits and vegetables. However, when you use fruits, you may have to use sugars to sweeten the puree. 

Kiwi coulis is one of the numerous types of coulis. Made from kiwi fruit, the coulis is delicious, nutritious, and perfect as a sauce for many food items. It can either be used as a dip, marinade, or dressing.

History of Kiwi Coulis

Coulis has not always been used to refer to purees. Instead, the word has evolved to mean different things at different points in time.

The word originated from France, and the French vocabulary was couler, which means “to strain” or “to flow”. Its adjective form, coleis, means straining, pouring, or flowing. The word also has a similar Latin root to the word “Colander”.

Originally, coulis was used to refer to the juices from cooked meat. Then after some time, it evolved to being used to refer to thick sauce or soup make from pureed fish, meat, or game.

But with time, these types of soup fell out of fashion, and as a result, the term coulis was then used to refer to shellfish soups that have been pureed.

In the New World, the word was modified to cullis and is used to refer to strained gravy and broth. Of all of these meanings and interpretations, only the “thick liquid” meaning has survived till today.

Today, there are still debates in the culinary world as to the right usage of the term coulis and what it should refer to.

While coulis could be made from vegetables (cooked) and fruits (uncooked), many people are still of the opinion that fruit coulis are simply fruit puree, and the use of the word “coulis” to describe them is an attempt at being fancy.

Of course, it does add a fancy feel to a menu decoration to see “Mango Coulis” rather than Mango puree or mango sauce.

Others also argue that a cooked coulis cannot be referred to as a coulis. At the end of the day, what matters most is the taste, intention of the chef, color, and consistency of the coulis.

While there is not much history about the kiwi coulis, there is an interesting history about kiwi fruits.

Contrary to the popular belief that kiwis originated from New Zealand, the fruits came from China.

Known previously as gooseberries, the seeds of the fruits were brought to New Zealand teachers from China in 1904 and planted by a New Zealand farmer who went on to grow the first kiwi tree in 1910.

The name “kiwi” came after New Zealand named the fruits after the national bird of the country in 1959. It was an attempt to nationalize it, a race that the United States and Great Britain were also involved in, at the time.   

Which Kiwi To Use – Gold Or Green

Either the gold or the green kiwi can be used in this recipe. 

The main difference between the two are the skin. 

The green kiwi has a brown skin color and are typically fuzzy, whereas the gold kiwi has a smoother skin. 

Both are sweet and can be eaten as a fruit or be used in drinks. 

How To Purchase Kiwi

Kiwis are an excellent source of vitamin C. 

In addition, they have a high level of potassium, fiber, folate, and vitamin E. 

Kiwis are green for babies and toddlers because they contain a high level of folic acid. They are less allergenic and works well with sensitive stomachs. 

When purchasing kiwi, keep in mind the following tips. 

Soft Kiwi: 

Kiwis that are soft are often ready to use and eat. No need to leave them on the counter to ripen. 

Firm Kiwi:

When kiwi is firm, it’s best to leave them out on the counter at room temperature so they can ripen. 

Kiwi is very temperamental. Therefore, they will last only a few days on the counter at room temperature. 

Kiwi Sauce Ingredients

Kiwi: Of course, this is the most important ingredient that you will need to make a kiwi coulis. When choosing the right kiwi for the dish, it is important to consider the skin of the fruit.

Most kiwi fruits are either green or golden on the outside. While the golden kiwi fruits have smooth skin with a bronze color, the green type has fuzzy and brown-colored skin.

Both types of kiwis can be used for the kiwi coulis, but the best option remains the golden kiwi as the green kiwi easily loses its flavor every time it gets processed.   

Lemon Juice: The acid from the lemon juice will help to brighten up the flavor of the fruit. 

Sugar: The sugar will not only preserve the sauce, but it is also used to sweeten the kiwi sauce. 

Frequently Asked Question(s)

Pro Tips To Consider

• Remove the skin for a smoother sauce texture, then cut the kiwi into slices. 
• While boiling, we recommend that you don’t use a very high temperature. Adjust the heat as needed, but its best to keep the temperature low. 
• The ideal consistency of the kiwi coulis is like that of a syrup. This means that you don’t want to overcook the coulis as it can get too thick and might gel during refrigeration
• Use a smaller amount of sugar when you start making the coulis. 
• Use a high-quality blender to blend the ingredients. 

Storing and Reheating Kiwi Puree

You can store the coulis in an airtight container and refrigerate them. This keeps the coulis stable for about one week. You can also reheat the coulis if needed.

More Coulis recipes to try

If you loved this kiwi sauce recipe, we recommend trying one of these coulis next.

Strawberry Coulis 

Red Pepper Coulis

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