How to Make Coconut Milk at Home

Coconut Milk in an important ingredient in regional Indian Cuisines like Cuisine of Kerala, Mangalorean Cuisine and Konkani food. While canned Coconut Milk is a commonly available ingredient and pretty inexpensive too but nothing matches the flavor of the dish cooked in a fresh coconut milk. The delicate flavor of fresh Coconut Milk is impossible to create with canned product. In this blog post we will explore How to Make Coconut Milk at home.

Food has always been pivotal to human existence. The history of human evolution can be traced and understood through several different studies. Food has played a significant role in this evolution and has been more than a medium of sustenance.

Festivals have more important role to play in today’s modernized world where the space for joint or extended family is shrinking and nuclear families are becoming more and more common. The festivals allow us to come together, laugh, rejoice, and share a positive relationship. Happy individuals could lead to formation of a happy and prosperous society.

Food and Festival is what brings us together from times immemorial. Just as communities and people are inseparable from festivals, food has an equally important role to play in these occasions. It’s hard to imagine these occasions without food.

We are now in that season of the year, when as a nation we will start celebrating different festivals in different parts of our country. The fascinating aspect of these festivals are the celebrations, decorations, fun, food, excitement and so much more that are part of these festivities. The days of festivities fills us with vibrancy and positive energy and I love being part of these festivals. With that thought, we will be starting our latest series, dedicated to Onam, one of the most important festival of the state of Kerala.

As part of this series, we will be sharing few interesting recipes which are particularly made for Sadhya. Besides these recipes our videos will be peppered with numerous anecdotes, facts related to Onam and Sadhya. My intention as a regional Indian Food Channel is to celebrate the true spirit of Indianness, which lies in its inclusiveness and accepting various cultures with its diversity. Even in this age of internet in which information is available readily on finger tips its amusing to know how little we know of each other’s culture.

It has become all the more important in today’s times to know about each other’s culture and accept the diversity that has always been part of India since centuries.

We will be starting with our first video of this series about How to Make Coconut Milk.  Coconut Milk is an important ingredient in Kerala Cuisine. There are many important dishes in which this ingredient is used-some sweet and some savory ones. Dishes like Fried Fish Curry, Palappams and Fish Mapas, Kadala Curry, Fish Molee, Potato Stew, Chicken/Mutton Stew, Mambazha Pulissery, Aviyal and plenty more.

Join us in Onam Celebrations by subscribing to our YouTube Channel. You can watch our video on How to make Coconut Milk and more Sadhya recipes on YouTube. Let us know your feedback by your comments below.

We have made several recipes using Coconut Milk like-Ishtoo, Chicken Curry and Fish Curries. Check our Kerala recipes

Coconut Milk is also used in Konkani Cuisine. Have you checked our SolKadhi recipe? Do check our Konkani recipes

Tip:-
**Remember to not grind the coconut for too long. We have grounded it for 30 seconds. If you grind the coconut for longer period, then the Coconut Milk may lose its delicate flavor due to the heat of the blades
**Similarly, never use hot or warm water. Always use water kept at room temperature. Hot water brings out the oiliness of Coconut milk and may ruin its delicate flavor.

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How to Make Coconut Milk at Home

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized Coconuts-grated. The grated Coconut weighs 400 gms
• Water as needed
• Strainer
• A Large Bowl
• A Muslin cloth

Instructions

1. Let's start extracting Coconut Milk now. We will start with first extract also known as Thick Coconut Milk. Transfer the grated Coconut in a grinder jar (you can do this batches). Add 250 ml=1 Cup of Water and grind
2. For 1 Coconut=200gms grated Coconut, use ½ Cup=125ml Water
3. Take a Large bowl and place a strainer over it. Place a Muslin cloth over this strainer. Put the coconut paste on this muslin cloth. Now press the Coconut to squeeze out the Coconut Milk. Make a bag of Muslin cloth and squeeze out the Coconut Milk
4. Please note that we are using double strain method. If you strain it just once, you may get some coconut particles in the coconut milk. Follow the Coconut to water ratio properly for getting such thick Coconut Milk.
5. First extract=Thick Coconut Milk is ready. It weighs around 300 ml (1¼ Cup)
6. Keep it aside. Transfer the Coconut from Muslin cloth to grinder jar
7. Add 2 Cups of Water and grind into a fine paste
8. For Second Extract: - 1 Coconut=200gms grated Coconut, use 1 Cup=250 ml Water. Similarly, 2 Coconut=400gms grated Coconut, use 2 Cups=500 ml Water
9. Strain the second extract with the muslin cloth. We have extracted 1 and ¾th Cup second extract of Coconut Milk
10. Now, let's extract last and third extract of Coconut Milk. Transfer the Coconut from Muslin cloth to a grinder jar and add 2 Cups of Water and grind.
11. For Third Extract: - 1 Coconut=200gms grated Coconut, use 1 Cup=250 ml Water. Similarly, 2 Coconut=400gms grated Coconut, use 2 Cups=500 ml Water
12. Let's strain this Coconut Milk with a Muslin Cloth. This weighs around 2 Cup=500 ml Coconut Milk
13. All 3 extracts of Coconut Milk are now ready. If you are cooking any dish in which Coconut Milk as an ingredient must be added, then start with 3rd extract. Then add 2nd extract and finally finish the dish by adding 1st extract. After adding 1st extract, do not keep the cook the dish for too long
14. While it is always best to use fresh Coconut Milk but if needed you can extract and store it in refrigerator for later use

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