Coconut milk is a versatile product that has a variety of uses in the kitchen, as well as for health and beauty purposes. It’s possible to buy coconut milk in cans, but making your own helps you know exactly what you’re using.
Making coconut milk isn’t hard at all – all you need is a small selection of tools and some fresh coconuts. Find out how to extract coconut milk and what to do with it right now!
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1. How to make coconut milk at home
Before we move on to explaining how to prepare coconut milk, make sure you have the following tools and ingredients at hand:
- Fresh coconut
- Warm water
- Hammer
- Blender
- Knife
- Sieve
- Plastic bowls
Follow these steps to learn how to make coconut milk:
- Use a hammer to break the coconut into chunks and remove the shells from the coconut flesh.
- Cut the flesh into small pieces and put them into a blender. Add the smallest possible quantity of warm water for the blender blades to move freely. Blitz until the coconut flesh turns into a smooth paste.
- Pour the paste into a sieve and squeeze the paste with your hands to extract more liquid.
- When you can’t squeeze any more milk from the coconut, pour the ground coconut into a bowl, add more warm water and repeat the sieving process.
- Repeat up to 5 times until the liquid coming out of the coconut becomes almost transparent. Remember that it’s better to put less water and get coconut milk that is more saturated.
How to make coconut oil from coconut milk? There is also a way of making coconut oil from milk. To make it, leave the jar of coconut for 24 hours at room temperature. There will be a thick layer on top of the jar – scoop and throw it out. The remaining liquid is pure virgin coconut oil.
2. How to preserve coconut milk
Freshly made coconut milk is much more durable than regular dairy milk. It can be stored in a plastic container with a tight lid for up to six days.
If you need to store coconut milk for a longer period, you can freeze it in plastic containers or zip bags for up to three months. Coconut milk needs to be thawed only in a refrigerator to preserve its value. Allow up to 24 hours for the milk to thaw, mixing it thoroughly once it’s thawed.
3. Health benefits of coconut milk
There are plenty of coconut milk benefits you can get from homemade coconut milk. Here are the most important ones of them.
- Coconut milk helps with weight loss and muscle growth. The high content of special fatty acids boosts your metabolism, helping your body lose excess fat, while the potassium and magnesium contained in the milk allow muscle tissue to repair and grow faster.
- Gastrointestinal health can be aided by coconut milk. In addition to preventing unpleasant conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome, coconut milk also lowers the risk of developing ulcers.
- More than 50% of fat contained in coconut is lauric acid, which has proven to be very effective for lowering the bad cholesterol level and promoting heart health.
4. How to use coconut milk
Every Nigerian home cook knows numerous signature coconut milk recipes. Here is what you can make of your freshly made coconut milk:
- Coconut milk can be used as a substitution for dairy milk in a variety of dishes. Try adding it instead of cream to your coffee or making ice cream from coconut milk.
- Coconut milk is the base ingredient in sauces from many national cuisines. Coconut curry is a gem of Asian cuisine. You can also make the Nigerian staple – coconut rice.
- Thanks to its distinct yet delicate tropical flavor, coconut milk can be used in hundreds of desserts – cakes, cupcakes, mousses, custards, puddings, and even sweets.
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