COCONUT MILK

If you are planning to make a dish that is popular in Southeast Asia, chances are you may need coconut milk or cream. Some of the dishes coconut milk is used in are:  gravy, cream soups, milkshakes, smoothies, ice cream, marinades, stews, puddings and cream pie fillings.  It is also used in cooking liquid for rice and other grains.   If you can’t find canned coconut milk, then consider making your own. 

Here’s what you will need:

• 1 cup desiccated coconut or grated fresh coconut
• 1 cup boiling water, coconut water or hot milk

Pour hot water or milk over the coconut in a bowl, and let it steep until it is cool enough to touch.  Pour the mixture through a strainer, catching the milky liquid in a bowl and pressing the coconut pulp to extract as much of the liquid as possible.  Discard the pressed pulp .  Refrigerate the extracted coconut milk and use it within two days – or you can freeze it.  (The creamy layer that rises to the top can be stirred back in or removed and used in recipes calling for coconut cream.)

  Coconut Milk

If the extracted liquid is very rich, you may want to try steeping your pulp a second time in another cup of hot liquid, repeating the soaking and draining process in order to extract a second cup of coconut milk from the batch.  If you only want to make a very small batch of coconut milk from fresh coconut, here’s what you will need:

1/4 to 1/2 cup of fresh coconut

Add fresh coconut to your blender and add an equal amount of boiling water or hot milk.  Process the coconut until it is chopped, then cool it slightly, drain, and press the pulp fairly dry. 

Tip:  Line a bowl with cheesecloth before adding the grated coconut.  Pour over the hot liquid and steep.  When the mixture is cool enough to handle, draw up the corners of the cheesecloth, twist the corners around to squeeze the coconut pulp, and press with your hands to extract all the liquid back into the bowl you used for soaking. 

COCONUT CREAM

You may be able to find this in the supermarket or liquor store called ‘cream of coconut” (also used to make pina coladas or coconut cake).  It is NOT the same thing as coconut cream.  They are NOT interchangeable.  Cream of coconut is highly sweetened coconut cream. 

Coconut cream is the oil-rich layer that rises to the top of coconut milk.  If you refrigerate coconut milk, the creamy layer will solidify at the top of the container – which makes it easy to remove. 

Tip:  Both coconut milk and cream are excellent substitutes for dairy products, if you are lactose intolerant or have a dairy allergy. 

Quick Pina Colada Smoothie

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 14 oz. cans pineapple chunks in their juice (or 1-1/2 cups fresh pineapple)
• 1/3 cup cream of coconut or 3 tablespoons sugar (optional)
• Whipped topping (optional)

Place all incredients in a blender, then top with whipped topping if you like.