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.
CoconutLover wrote on August 7, 2013
Fresh coconut milk is not only easy to make, it also tastes soooo much better than the stuff in the can. Plus when you make it at home it is just coconut and water.
Thank you for the tip on whacking the shell. I will have to give it a go I usually use a paring knife and pry it out piece by tiny piece. So time consuming! And if you don’t have a blender or food processor then you need to grate the coconut. Trying to grate tiny 1 inch pieces of coconut is not fun!
Susan wrote on March 24, 2013
Susie, that would completely depend on so many different things I couldn’t begin to guess. It is probably not low fat so I would take that into consideration. Cheers!
Susie wrote on March 24, 2013
How much of this luscious stuff may I allow myself to drink per day?
karina wrote on March 17, 2013
Here is a tip: before you crack it open, make a hole with a clean nail where the coconut has natural little dark indentations and drain the water. This way you don’t lose any of it or make a mess! This coconut water is nature’s Gatorade, by the way. Enjoy it chilled!
Miss Cellany wrote on March 7, 2013
Bah, the coconuts here in UK don’t come with a pre-scored mid line, how can I score the middle so that I can use the tap method? It looks like it makes a nice clean break into even halves, which is what I want.
foodimake wrote on February 18, 2013
Great pictures, I had no trouble following your instructions and the coconut milk tasted devine!
Loved the idea about making coconut flour….. can’t wait to use that in pancakes 🙂
Thanks
🙂
Betty wrote on February 18, 2013
Thanks for the instructions about how much to use. I have made the coconut milk in awhile i forgot how much water to use. I use the coconut water in with normal water when making my coconut milk. I figure it gives more nutrients to the coconut milk. I used to give fermented young coconut water to my autistic grandson but stopped somewhere along the line. It seemed to be more for gut issues that he did not have & buying 9 coconuts at a time really adds up after a time. I remember saving that coconut & powder’ after i had made the coconut milk & drying it. I started adding it to my gluten free flour mixes I was making at the time. Anyway, thanks for the site.
Kathryn wrote on February 13, 2013
I want to put the home made coconut milk in my food dehydrater, is this possible?
Susan wrote on February 13, 2013
What exactly are you trying to do?
Nichole wrote on February 9, 2013
What is the difference in taste between young thai coconut meat/water and the mature variety you used in your recipe? I spent a fortune on young thai coconut meat and water and my son hates the taste 🙁 I have to admit – the texture is a bit weird. I now use the stuff for raw pina coladas sans rum. I would love for him to have another milk choice for him. Thanks!