Coconut milk can be used to add flavor and color to some of your favorite recipes. Not only does it taste great but is also very healthy. Coconut milk can be extracted with a little effort from the crushed coconut or what is commonly called crushed meat. It is used as an essential ingredient in several Thai as well as Indian dishes. This milk is known to replace ordinary cowâs milk pretty well but buying it from the market can be slightly expensive. However, you can easily make fresh coconut milk at your home and enjoy its delectable taste. Read on to learn how you can prepare coconut milk to avoid last-minute rush to super market.
Complexity Level: Basic
Time Required: 15-20 minutes
Resources Required:
- Fresh grated coconut or dried coconut
- Milk
- Water
- Muslin cloth
- Blender
Instructions:
1. Gather the ingredients
First of all, gather all the ingredients in advance to avoid any last minute rush to the grocery store. If you are unable to find fresh coconut make use of the dried one which works just as well.
2. Grate the coconut
You will need to grate the coconut to use it to make coconut milk. Use a food processor in order to grate the coconut. Add a little water if you face any trouble in grating the dry coconut.
3. Mix milk and coconut
In order to start making coconut milk, you will have to first place a saucepan on the burner and add equal quantity of milk and coconut. You can also use water in place of milk. Let the mix simmer for 3-4 minutes on low heat. Keep on stirring the mixture and ensure that it does not start to boil. Turn the burner off and remove the saucepan.
4. Strain the mix
Use a strainer or a simple sieve to strain the mixture. You can also line the sieve with cheesecloth. Let the strained mix fall into a bowl. Take out the cheesecloth from the sieve and bundle up the leftover mix. Twist out the leftover coconut milk. You can easily adjust the consistency by adding more water or milk. Your coconut milk is ready to be used.
5. Store
Do not allow your coconut milk to lie outside and make sure you store it in refrigerator to prolong its shelf life.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. How do I store coconut milk?
It is recommended that you must make little quantity of coconut milk at one time. It should fulfill need of your recipe, but if some quantity is still left you can store it in refrigerator for up to two days.
2. How will I get to know if the coconut milk is unfit for usage?
When stored for too long or left outside the refrigerator the coconut milk might turn bad. A peculiar rancid flavor will help you find out that it is not suitable for use.
Quick Tips:
- Coconut milk can be ideally stored for a day or two in the refrigerator.
- By freezing the coconut milk as ice cubes you can easily prolong its shelf life and use it whenever required.
Things To Watch Out For:
- Do not add too much of water or milk, coconut milk has to be slightly thick in consistency.
- Coconut milk made out of dried coconut has larger shelf life than the one made from fresh coconut.
