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.
Jenn wrote on February 2, 2013
Thankyou for this! I opened my 1st coconut last night and made fresh coconut milk for my toddlers this morning!
michelle wrote on January 29, 2013
Lots of people making milk or flour were using flakes was looking for some one using real coconuts thanks so much for posting going to make my own soon 🙂
Jenny wrote on January 6, 2013
Thank you so much for sharing, my lab shreds coconuts constantly and I cant wait to add into my Clean Thai Ginger Soup. <3
Chris wrote on December 19, 2012
I wondered if anyone had any thoughts regarding the freshness of Young Thai coconuts? I previously lived in South Florida where I had access fresh unpeeled coconuts (still in the green, brown, orange, or yellow husk) and they were quite often extremely fresh. Having moved to Northern California, no such coconuts seem to exist out here, rarely anyone even knows what a natural “off the tree” coconut even looks like.
So my question is: once the coconut is peeled and you’re left with the (often) diamond shaped husk, how fresh do the coconuts stay compared to if the complete husk was left in tact? My family and I go through about 3 gallons of coconut water a week… at least we did in Florida.
Also, to comment on some of the questions about the taste of water/milk: A very young coconut and very fresh will have barely any taste to it, it will closely resemble pure “water” with a hint of flavor. The older the coconut the sweeter the water will taste. If you drink water that has a little “tang” to it but is still sweet, it is still okay, that’s just the water beginning to ferment. But if there’s a sourness or if it just tastes “off” then it’s going bad and you’re better tossing it out. As with most foods, if your body gives you an, “ick, that’s doesn’t seem right” feeling, then you’re better off passing it by.
Coconut water you buy on the shelves is just a semi-healthy sports drink without all the synthetic junk in it. There are very few “living” things that retain all of their natural properties and health benefits if they have any sort of a shelf life. With many foods, coconuts included, the close you get to how it comes in nature, the more your body will benefit from it.
*fyi: raw unheated honey is one of the few foods that will stay fresh on the shelf indefinitely.
Rach wrote on November 11, 2012
Hi, can you make coconut milk from coconut flakes or unsweetened shredded coconut?
Susan wrote on November 11, 2012
I have not tried making coconut milk from coconut flakes. Cheers!
Katrina Le wrote on November 8, 2012
My only trouble with making fresh coconut milk so far is that it goes off so quickly. Made fresh salads using coconut milk the other day, and I could taste the sourness of the coconut milk on salads just a few hours afterwards. Perhaps living in a tropical country doesn’t help.
Any tips?
Susan wrote on November 10, 2012
Something doesn’t sound right about that. It shouldn’t sour so fast. Are you keeping it in the refrigerator?
Maria Carolina wrote on October 29, 2012
Hi there, I currently have a lot of coconut pulp leftover from making milk. Do you have any recipes to use up this pulp or do you suggest using it in recipes that call for (store-bought) coconut flour?
Josh wrote on October 3, 2012
I’ve been drinking Harmless Harvest Raw Coconut Water for the past year. Decided to try So Delicious Original Coconut Milk this past weekend as I didn’t have time to make my weekly batch of fresh coconut milk. First of all, I was totally disappointed when it had no taste at all. Secondly checkout the ingredients, for something that suppose to be so good and pure; sure has lots of BS. Real coconut milk suppose to harden a bit when cold because of its fats, the ones in the Tetra Paks don’t. Basic recipe buy fresh mature [brown] coconut coconut flakes blend it with fresh coconut water or buy Harmless Harvest Raw Coconut Water to get more nutrients. This would taste 10,000 times better and have lots more nutritional value. Google raw coconut milk recipes.
Maria @ Little Miss Cornucopia wrote on August 12, 2012
I’m soooooo happy I found this amaaaaaazing recipe!! Can’t wait to try it! Thank you sooooo much for sharing!!