Coconut Milk

This is not the water that you drink from a fresh nut. It is a white, milky liquid that is easily extracted from coconut flesh with hot water, and it is essential for much South-East Asian cooking. You can buy it in cans from most Asian shops, or you can buy ‘instant’ powder and simply mix it with water; these are both quite all right, but they do not get results as good as fresh milk you have made yourself from either a fresh nut or (just as good) desiccated coconut.

1 From Fresh Coconut. One nut makes about 570 ml/1 pint/2½ cups of milk. Grate the flesh, pour hot water over it and leave it to cool till it is hand-hot. Then squeeze handfuls of the grated flesh through a fine sieve, pressing out the last drop. For thicker milk, use less water, and vice versa. (This can be done in a blender: see below.)