Homemade Coconut Milk (Narla Rosu) ~ Using Fresh Coconut

I grew up eating coconut in anything and everything...literally !! Yes, in Konkani Cuisine almost every dish has to have coconut in it. Every week a family of four uses 4-5 coconuts/ week. So now you know that we are coconut lovers :-)
During festivals making coconut milk at home is very common. Traditional jaggery based payasams is enriched by adding freshly extracted coconut milk. I used to help my mom with the extraction of coconut milk. Back then I never appreciated the taste of fresh coconut or coconut milk. Now after using frozen coconut for many years, I really miss the taste of freshly grated coconut and coconut milk. 

This is the first time, I am extracting coconut milk.I wanted fresh coconut milk for another recipe and hence got a coconut. The process is very simple and it indeed makes a lot of difference in whichever dish you use it :-)

Ingredients:

• Fresh Coconut in a Shell - 1/2
• Water - 1 1/4 cup

Procedure:

Break open the coconut into two pieces using a hammer.

Now take one of the piece and remove the coconut meat (white part) using a knife (or use a scraper if you have).

Now transfer the coconut meat into a blender along with water.

Grind it to get a smooth paste.

Place a fine sieve (or cotton cloth) over a bowl. Now add the coconut paste into the sieve.

Press it until all the milk is removed. You will be left with dry coconut scraps. The bowl will have the thick, creamy coconut milk (thin coconut milk can be extracted using the coconut scraps by adding 1 1/2 cups of water and then passing it through the sieve. This thin milk can be added while making payasam).

Homemade Coconut Milk is ready!!

Use it immediately for best results or store it in the refrigerator for later use. Half a coconut yields 1 1/2 cup of thick coconut milk.