KA-THI

Coconut Milk and Cream

Grated coconut is best when it is fresh. Dried or desiccated coconut can also be used to make coconut milk but it needs to be soaked, then chopped more finely or ground to a paste, otherwise it will be fibrous. If you can, buy a proper coconut grater.

MAKES 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) coconut cream and 250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) coconut milk

1 coconut (yields about 300 g/11 oz flesh)

Drain the coconut by punching a hole in two of the dark, coloured eyes. Drain out the liquid and use it as a refreshing drink. Holding the coconut in one hand, tap around the circumference firmly with a hammer or pestle. This should cause the coconut to split open evenly. (If it doesn’t crack easily, put it in a 150°C/300°F/Gas 2 oven for 15 minutes. This may cause it to crack as it cools. If it doesn’t, it will crack easily when hit with a hammer.)

If you would like to use a coconut grater, the easiest ones to use are the ones that you sit at one end, then scrape out the coconut from each half on the serrated edge, catching the grated coconut meat in a large bowl. If you don’t have a coconut grater, prise the flesh out of the shell, trim off the hard, brown, outer skin and grate either by hand on a box grater or chop in a food processor. Grated coconut can be frozen in small portions until it is needed.

Mix the grated coconut with 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) hot water and leave to steep for 5 minutes. Pour the mixture into a container through a sieve lined with muslin, then gather the muslin into a ball to squeeze out any remaining liquid. This will make a thick coconut milk, which is usually called coconut cream.

Repeat the steeping and squeezing process with another 250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) of water to make thinner coconut milk.