Extracting coconut milk

Coconut milk is used extensively in South Indian recipes mainly in desserts. Here is how coconut milk is extracted for use in cooking.

You will need

Coconut gratings/bits

Water

Grating a coconut

Cutting off bits of coconut

Blend the meat of half a coconut (grated or chopped into bits) with water sufficient to run the blender    (about half  a cup).

Ready to blend

Squeeze with your fingers and strain through a sieve to collect the first expressed coconut milk.

Repeat the process of blending with water and straining  once or twice more. Collect the second pressed and third pressed coconut milk separately.

If the recipe calls for cooking the coconut milk, first use the 3^rd and the 2^nd pressed milk and finally when almost done with the cooking add the first pressed thick coconut milk.

Usually served with obbattu/holige.(sweetened lentil/coconut stuffed flat breaad)

Freshly extracted coconut milk

Note:

The fiber collected in the sieve can be used in cooking. Amma uses it in her wholewheat cakes to improve softness or makes Payasam/ kheer with the fiber added.

Coconut milk is excellent to increase breast milk. It can be consumed by the mother about 3 months after delivery.