Homemade Coconut Milk

Many recipes use coconut milk. While there are many brands of ready made coconut milk available in the market, homemade coconut milk is the best and free from preservatives too.


Ingredients

• 1 medium size coconut
• Water as required

Method

• Break the coconut into two and scrape each halves or as required and soak the grated coconut in 1 cup of hot water for 10 minutes. 
• Grind the coconut mixture in a blender.
• Place a sieve or strainer over a large bowl. Line it with a double layer of cheesecloth. Pour the ground coconut extract into the lined strainer. 
• Lift the cheesecloth, pull the edges together, and squeeze out the coconut milk. This is the first extract of coconut milk. Keep aside.
• Again, grind the squeezed coconut with a cup of water and take out the second extract of coconut milk as in the previous step. Keep aside separately.

Suggestions / Notes

• The second extract of the coconut milk can be used instead of water in cooking the dishes that call for coconut milk. The first extract of coconut milk will break down if boiled on high. Hence it should be used only in the final step and also only on low flame.