Fresh Raw Coconut Milk
It all started with a craving for raw Pad Thai. I haven’t made it yet, and have been wanting to for quite a while. Knowing that coconut milk is an important ingredient that I want in my Pad Thai sauce, I set out to make fresh, raw coconut milk for my raw Pad Thai raw food recipe.
I use young Thai coconuts all the time. I open them with ease (see here) and am very familiar with how to use them. Traditional coconut milk is made from mature coconuts. Something I am not familiar with at all. I bought a couple and brought them home and stared at them for days. The hairy little buggers intimidated me. In fact, they down right scared me.
I have memories, as a very little girl, of my mother trying to open a coconut. I believe there were hammers, chisels, and maybe even a car involved. Much huffing and puffing, and extreme frustration. There may have even been a few off color words from my very prim and proper mother. A frightening scenario for a little girl. Honestly, I also think there was quite a lot of laughing as each attempt failed and each following attempt got more extreme. I seem to remember the final attempt involving her 64 pontiac.
Well, here is the thing. Opening those hairy little guys is actually a piece of cake. A little research on line and I was able to pop right through the shell and dive into one of the most heavenly substances I have encountered for a while. Traditionally coconut milk is made from mature coconuts and I quickly found out why. The flesh is pure coconut heaven. Very different from the young coconuts.
To open the coconut, simply tap (ok…whack) the coconut around the midline with the back of a cleaver.
After a couple of good whacks, you will hear a crack. Keep turning and tapping and within seconds, the coconut will have split! You will want to do this over a bowl as there is water inside. Discard the water.
You can then either pry out the flesh with a table knife or my favorite, turn it over, give the outside shell a good whack with a hammer and the flesh will just pop right out (this does require breaking the shell).
Once you pop the flesh out, peel off the brown skin with a vegetable peeler. Chop up the coconut and put it in the high-speed blender. Add water, blend and then strain through a nut-milk bag or a few layers of cheese cloth.
The extra pulp can be dehydrated at 115 degrees until dry. Give it a quick spin in the blender after it is dry and you have lovely, fragrant raw coconut flour!
Raw Coconut Flour
Tips for your Coconut Milk
You can keep blending the coconut milk with more coconut flesh until you get coconut cream. Note: If your coconut milk sits in the refrigerator the fat will collect on the top. You can give it a quick spin in the blender to reincorporate it.
Fresh Raw Coconut Milk
MAKES 4 CUPS
- 1 to 4 mature coconuts (depending on how thick you want your milk)
- 3 cups water
- Remove flesh from coconut (see above)
- Place the flesh from one coconut in high-speed blender with 3 cups water and blend a few minutes.
- Strain through nut-milk bag. (Set pulp aside to dehydrate for coconut flour)
To make thicker coconut milk:
- Take coconut milk you just made and blend with second coconut in high-speed blender. Strain through nut-milk bag.
Carolina wrote on April 13, 2012
Rawmaaaaaaazing!
Dot D. wrote on April 13, 2012
Are they easier than the Young Coconuts to open? I’m a senior and have a hard time with those. I should look into the above video site for some help then…?
Kelli wrote on April 13, 2012
I recently started getting into coconuts (mostly middle-aged white/cloud coconuts from Mexican stores). John Kohler knows a lot about making your own coconut cream, oil, and flakes. Through his videos, I found out about the coconut demeating tool (http://www.youngcoconuts.com/coconutdemeatingtool.html). It makes life much easier. I use the back side of a cleaver to open them, and then use the demeating tool to fairly easily get the meat out in large chunks or even unbroken. It’s worth the modest cost of it. Regular knives are a bit trickier.
Jo Connelly wrote on April 13, 2012
I have been making raw coconut milk for several years and it is wonderful. If you pop the whole coconut in the freezer for half an hour first, the outer shell comes straight off when you tap around with the back of a cleaver. Then just peel the whole, shelled coconut with a peeler. Please don’t throw the water away. It if often even sweeter than young coconut water. If it is sour then you are unlucky. So taste before discarding and enjoy.
Lilley wrote on April 13, 2012
Hi, Just wanted to let you know I use a drill and a vice like the ones in a workshop. I drill the eyes out of the coconut then drain it. Then I put the coconut in a vice like the ones you get in a workshop and squish it. I then turn the coconut and squish it again. You don’t end up with very much meat on the shell and then you just take out the small amount with a knife that is left on the shell. This is the easiest way to open a coconut with the least amount of effort. Cheers
Ari'Ana wrote on April 13, 2012
Thanks for all your amazing recipes. This demonstration is very helpful as I’ve had the experience with drills and hammers and a few words. Looking forward to trying it as well as your Phad Thai recipe. Looking forward to trying the zucchini fries too. May do the same thing with sweet spuds.
Susan wrote on April 13, 2012
It’s amazing how easy they are to open! Cheers!
Irina wrote on April 13, 2012
This is perfect! Thank you so much! I had been intimidated by them as well, but now you helped to embrace them and create such lovely things! Sending love and gratitude your way!
barbara weith wrote on April 12, 2012
Thank you! I love the great illustrations and clear directions. Will look forward to trying this out. What actually is a good use for “coconut flour?”
Dina wrote on April 12, 2012
Ummm!! One question- any reason you got rid of the water? Thanks for sharing!
Susan wrote on April 12, 2012
Yes…because the water in a mature coconut tends to be a bit bitter and not tasty.