HOW TO MAKE COCONUT MILK

     



     I use coconut milk quite often and liberally in my kitchen for a myriad of dishes - from soups, stews to curries, snacks, desserts, puddings, payasams and baked items...   They are even used to cook rice delicacies like Sri Lankan Coconut Rice, Malaysian Nasi Lemak and the tasty Thai Mango Sticky Rice with a drizzle of coconut milk over it.   The exotic flavour and punch of the coconut milk enhances the dish, to which it is added.  Least to mention about the taste of Indian Payasams & Pradhamans (Desserts) made with Coconut Milk.
     Let's begin with the tedious process, cracking the Coconut into beautiful and equal halves. (No... I cannot do it.  I have a great trouble in this feat that I need somebody to help me do this).  And then comes the other tedious process - scrapping all that beautiful creamy soft flesh. After this, the process turns to be quicker.  Grind them in your food processor or a blender, squeeze and sieve it to yield creamy, thick Coconut Milk.  The freshness and flavour of home-made Coconut Milk are worth the process and all the more they have no additives in them.  So let's begin... 

HOW TO MAKE COCONUT MILK

 

INGREDIENTS :

Grated Coconut - 1 1/2 Portion
Water - As Required.
A Sieve or a Thin Muslin Cloth
Blender or Food Processor

METHOD :

• Grate 1 1/2 portion of fresh coconut.
• In a blender or food processor, add the grated coconut along with 1 cup of hot water and grind it for a minute.
• Pour the ground mixture into a sieve or thin muslin cloth.
• Squeeze out the milk from the ground coconut. This is the first extract which would be thick.
• You get approximately 1cup of thick coconut milk from this.
• Return the remaining coconut to the processor and add 2 cups of hot water.
• Grind this for few minutes.
• Pour it into the sieve or muslin cloth and squeeze it for milk in a separate bowl. 
• This gives you about 11/2cups of thin coconut milk. This is the second extract.
• Repeat the process if you need some more Coconut Milk.  The third extract would yield very thin Coconut Milk.
  

NOTES :

• Using hot water yields more coconut milk. Can use normal water too.
• I use the 'extractor jar' in my Mixer Grinder to make coconut milk.  This helps me reduce the work.(squeezing through the sieve).

If using canned Coconut milk - 

• shake well and pour 1/2 contents into a bowl and mix it along with 1 cup or required amount of water to make thin coconut milk.
• Remaining milk can be used as thick milk.

If using Instant coconut milk powder -

• Mix 50 gms of Instant Coconut Milk Powder with 250 ml of warm water for thin coconut milk.
• Mix 50 gms of Instant Coconut Milk Powder with 100 ml of warm water for thick coconut milk.