Coconut Milk

Fresh coconut milk made from scratch has a richness and aroma that no can or carton can replicate. Just two ingredients: grated coconut flesh and boiling water, steeped and squeezed.

Boiling water draws out the fat and flavor from the grated flesh during a 30-minute soak. The key is in the squeezing. Really wring out that pulp, getting every drop of the creamy liquid. The first press gives you thick coconut milk, perfect for finishing curries or stirring into desserts where you want full-bodied richness.

Here’s the clever part: the leftover pulp still has flavor to give. Run it through a second soak with fresh boiling water for thin coconut milk, the kind you’d use as a cooking base for soups and stews. Mix the two batches together for an all-purpose consistency.

Pro Tips

• Use a fresh, heavy coconut that sloshes when shaken. Light coconuts are often dried out inside.
• Grate the flesh finely. Larger pieces don’t release enough fat during the soak.
• Strain through cheesecloth or a fine mesh bag rather than a sieve. It catches all the fine grit and gives you silky-smooth milk.
• Use within 2 days or freeze in ice cube trays for easy portioning.

Variations

• Toast the grated coconut lightly in a dry pan before soaking for a nuttier, deeper flavor.
• Add a pandan leaf to the boiling water for the fragrant coconut milk used in Thai and Malaysian desserts.