Coconut Milk

Coconut milk is integral to the cooking of southern India and southeast Asia. It is sold in cans in supermarkets. Or you can make it yourself, using the shredded, unsweetened coconut sold in supermarkets or the meat from a fresh coconut. For fresh coconut meat, choose a heavy coconut with no cracks and shake it: If you can hear liquid moving inside, the coconut is ripe and fresh. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pierce the eyes with an ice pick or corkscrew (overleaf, steps 1 and 2) and drain the coconut liquid. Bake the coconut for about 15 minutes or until the shell begins to crack. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Using a hammer, whack the coconut around its circumference, making a full circle. Then use the hammer claw to pry the two halves apart (left, step 3). Remove the flesh with a knife (step 4) and grate it (step 5). For every cup of dry or fresh grated coconut, add 2 ½ cups of boiling water and puree in a food processor for 3 minutes. Strain the puree through a sieve lined with three layers of cheese-cloth, then gather the edges of the cheesecloth together and squeeze the bundle to extract all the juice. Discard the solids. The coconut milk will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.