More and more often people are faced with dishes based on exotic fruits. However, few people know that you can get high-quality milk from coconut. The liquid has a light taste and pleasant aroma. The product is used as an alternative to animal milk. Baked goods are also made from it. In Europe and Asian countries, first and second courses, sweet and hot sauces. Also, using this product in Everyday life, you enrich the body with a lot of useful elements and vitamins.
Household appliances for preparing milk
- fine sieve;
- device for stirring components;
- small capacity;
- enamel pan;
- food processor;
- sharp knife;
- hammer;
- cutting board.
Method number 1. Freeze-dried coconut milk
- Buy a bag of shredded coconut. When choosing, pay attention to the naturalness of the product; it should not contain any sweet additives or spices. Most often, the bulk composition is sold in supermarkets on the general shelf with baking goods.
- Based on the mass of purchased chips, 300 g. You can prepare 550 ml of the composition. coconut milk. Pour in required amount product into a blender. Calculate how much coconut milk you can consume during the day, since the shelf life of the product in the refrigerator does not exceed 24 hours.
- For 300 gr. coconut flakes take 600 ml. filtered water. Pour the liquid into enamel pan, based on how much milk you want to get. Boil the required amount of water. Then add boiling water to the container with coconut flakes. Mix the ingredients well.
- Cover the pan with a lid and turn on the burner at full power. Achieve uniformity of the composition. For safety precautions, hold the lid of the device tightly. Due to the high water temperature, it may open unexpectedly.
- Take a sieve, cover it with gauze if necessary, strain the mixture into suitable container. The milk should not contain coconut particles. Take a gauze cloth and wring it out thoroughly. Re-strain the mixture if necessary.
- Store coconut milk in a glass container with a tight lid. Pour the mixture from the container into a jar and place it in the refrigerator. With prolonged settling, the milk begins to separate, the fat is separated from the water, forming cream. Shake before use.
Method number 2. Milk from ready-made coconut flakes
- Purchase the required amount of coconut flakes. Mix with water or soy milk needed in equal proportions.
- Combine equal amounts of chips and liquid in a saucepan. Place the heat-resistant container over low heat. Simmer the mixture for 4 minutes, avoiding the appearance of bubbles.
- After this, pour the mixture into a sieve lined with gauze. Strain the milk into a suitable container and thoroughly squeeze the cloth with the shavings. The product is ready to use.
- Store milk in a cool place in a glass container. First, wrap the jar with thick paper, pour the liquid into it and close the lid tightly. In this state, the shelf life of the treat is no more than 45 hours. The product can also be frozen.
Method number 3. Fresh coconut milk
- Grate the coconut meat into a suitable container, then place it in a food processor. Pour in the required amount of boiling water, based on the proportions: 2 parts liquid to 1 part raw material.
- Close the lid of the dish and grind the mixture until homogeneous mass. If you wish, you can use a blender. Next, pour the product into a sieve, then pour the milk into glass containers. Use as you wish.
Method number 4. Whole coconut milk
- Buy whole nuts at the grocery market. When choosing, focus on heavy specimens with coconut water. The integrity of the 3 dark holes on the nut should not be compromised.
- To open a coconut, place the fruit on the cutting table. Hold the product with one hand and take the knife with the other. Using a sharp point, cut the area around the eye. You can also hit the fruit with a knife in one place until the shell cracks.
- Continue until the cover comes off and can be easily removed. To prevent Negative consequences, use a knife with a well-sharpened blade. A large tool is suitable for cutting meat or fish.
- The coconut can also be opened in another way. To do this, wrap the fruit in a cotton towel and place it on a flat surface (cutting board, kitchen table, etc.).
- For convenience, you need to first drill a hole in the shell, drain the coconut liquid, and then proceed with the procedure. Take a hammer and hit the eye sockets. Manipulations are carried out until the nut splits in half.
- After opening the nut, you need to make sure that it is fresh. Determine the quality of coconut pulp by smell and appearance. Raw materials should not be colorless, dry or have foreign odors. Pour the coconut water directly into the blender.
- Extract all the nut pulp in a way convenient for you. Remove the dark melon skin-like structure. Place the resulting mixture in a blender.
- Mix the pulp and coconut water until smooth. Then pour the mixture into a glass and enjoy. If desired, coconut milk is combined with citrus fruit pulp.
When choosing coconut flakes, give preference to varieties without added impurities. If possible, determine how dry it is. The juicier the product, the tastier the milk will be. When buying a fresh nut at the market, rely on its heavy weight and relatively small size. Externally, evaluate whether the coconut has any mechanical defects. Listen to see if there is water in it.
Video: how to make coconut milk
The dessert made from coconut milk is tender and light, with a subtle pleasant aroma.
To prepare it, you can use the milk that is sold in cans. This is not real milk, but ground coconut flakes diluted with water. Therefore, this “milk” is white, not transparent, and tastes completely different. By the way, you can do it yourself.
I used coconut powder, that will work too.
Ingredients:
- coconut milk or powder,
- sugar,
- lemon juice,
- coconut shavings,
- gelatin.
Recipe with photos step by step:
For cooking coconut dessert I dissolve the caramel powder in water until a fairly thick “milk” is obtained. You need to stir well so that there are no lumps. If you have ready-made “milk”, then the matter becomes simpler.
Add sugar to taste, since such milk itself, although aromatic, is not sweet enough. Although be careful, some manufacturers add sugar to canned milk in advance.
Dissolve gelatin and add it to coconut milk. Stir and refrigerate for several hours, or even better, overnight.
When the dessert has hardened, prepare the caramel. Pour sugar into a heated frying pan, add water and lemon juice. While stirring, wait until the sugar dissolves and turns into liquid caramel.
Pour the caramel over the frozen coconut milk. You can sprinkle shavings on top for decoration. Our coconut milk dessert is ready. Bon appetit!
And milk is crushed ripe pulp, and not at all liquid drained from it. The taste of coconut milk and its consistency directly depend on the number of squeezes. Pleasant sweet taste and delicate aroma has a product of the first pressing.
Chemical composition, harm and benefits of coconut milk
Coconut milk is not just incredible delicious product, this is very healthy treat. Thus, it contains a rich vitamin and mineral complex. Coconut is rich in vitamins B, C, E, PP, K, elements such as zinc, selenium, iron, potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese, amino acids and valuable fatty acids.
Nutritionists include nuts in the menu low calorie diet, since the sugar in fruits is fructose. Dishes with coconut milk are very popular. Coconut contains no more than 5% vegetable proteins, and also contains fats that are easily digestible by the human body. This allows you to use the product if you are intolerant to animal components.
Health effects of coconut milk
The harms and benefits of coconut milk are a frequent topic of discussion among scientists. The extract obtained from southern nuts has the following effects:
Southern coconut milk has a tonic effect. Natural product will fill the human body with strength after a hard day, remove fatigue, relieve depression and help restore excellent health.
Also, coconut milk, which, by the way, has reviews from doctors, and is purely positive, is recommended to be consumed during rehabilitation after undergoing a course of radiation and chemotherapy, after long-term use of antibiotics. It normalizes intestinal function, bringing its microflora back to normal.
It should be noted that heat treatment coconut milk does not deprive it of high nutritional properties. For this quality in Europe valuable product called "tropical cream".
Harm of coconut milk
Despite its wonderful properties, coconut milk can sometimes cause harm. It may cause allergic reactions. In this case, its consumption is strictly contraindicated. Also, according to experts, people with individual fructose intolerance should limit or even eliminate the intake of palm nuts.
The harm and benefits of coconut milk is a topic that worries many. Use large quantity it may lead to negative reactions from digestive system. Thus, attacks of nausea, diarrhea and dizziness are possible. In some cases, people experience increased arterial pressure, the heart rhythm is disrupted, the blood supply to organs is deteriorating.
You need to be especially careful with canned milk. A natural product should contain only coconut components and water. Milk with big amount preservatives will do little good. An expired product should also not be eaten.
Preparing coconut milk and shavings
Now we will look at how to make coconut milk at home. Fresh nuts can be found in almost every grocery store. The resulting product is widely used in cooking for making soups and cocktails. You can also make an excellent dessert from milk.
First, punch a hole in the coconut shell. To do this, select the desired “eye”. The liquid must be poured out, and only then the shell must be cracked. After the peel is peeled, we get white, fragrant pulp, which is what we need to make milk. Grate the pulp on a medium grater. Place it in a container and fill it with boiling water. You need to take enough water to cover the mass a little. After half an hour, squeeze out the grated nut using gauze. The resulting liquid is the most valuable coconut milk, which can be stored in the refrigerator for a day.
The shavings remaining after spinning must be placed on the oven tray. Dry until ready - within half an hour. One coconut typically yields a glass of milk and about two cups of shavings.
Popular Recipes with Coconut Milk
Dishes prepared using coconut milk have an unsurpassed aroma and amazing taste. The product itself ordinary dish will add a spicy aroma and tenderness. The harms and benefits of coconut milk were discussed earlier. Now let's look at some culinary recipes.
Chicken baked in coconut milk
To prepare this dish we will need the following ingredients:
chicken legs - 4 pcs.;
coconut milk - 2 cups;
onions - 2 heads;
vegetable oil- 1 tablespoon;
lemon juice - 1 tablespoon;
garlic - 2 cloves;
salt - 1 teaspoon;
seasonings
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Wash the chicken legs thoroughly and dry them. We cut them, separating the drumstick from the thighs. Lemon juice mix with chopped garlic, pepper, fennel, coriander and cinnamon. Rub the mixture over the meat and leave for half an hour. Finely chop the onion and fry it until golden brown. We add to it chicken legs and fry until fully cooked. Place the meat in a baking dish and pour coconut milk over it. Place the dish in the oven for 30 minutes. You can also always make dessert from milk.
Shrimp in coconut milk
To prepare this aromatic and tasty dish, you will need:
shrimp - 1 kg;
coconut milk - 2 cups;
onions - 2 heads;
tomatoes - 2 pcs.;
olive oil- 2 tablespoons;
seasonings
Peel the onions and cut into rings. Fry them in a frying pan in olive oil. Cut the tomatoes into small cubes and add to the onion. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Combine coconut milk with turmeric, pepper and saffron. We post it in vegetable mixture shrimps. Salt to taste and add coconut milk. The ingredients are stewed with the lid closed for no more than 15 minutes. Can be served. Bon appetit!
There are also other recipes. You can prepare a wide variety of dishes with coconut milk.
Do you have leftover coconut milk and don't know how to use it? We offer you 9 tips that will help you not only preserve coconut milk longer, but also use it as a highlight in your dishes. Both natural and canned coconut milk will do, or you can use coconut milk.
Freeze coconut milk
Coconut milk is pretty perishable product. Pour it into an ice cube tray and carefully place it in a plastic bag to lock in the flavor. Once the cubes are frozen, transfer them to a plastic bag and place them in freezer. Retrieve as needed.
Cool your tea or make ice cream
You can add coconut cubes to fruit juice or herbal tea to cool it down and get a beautiful effect. You can use these cubes when cooking.
Regular milk substitute
Thicken coconut milk to use in baked goods, frostings, or milk drinks instead regular milk. To do this, add sugar to the coconut milk to taste (about 2 tablespoons) and simmer over low heat for an hour or until it thickens and reduces by half (remember to stir occasionally).
Cool and creamy
Use natural creamy coconut milk for the dressing. lean soups, which can be served hot or cold. Or, for example, connect, cauliflower, squash, parsnip or zucchini with coconut for sweetness and texture. Add squeezed lemon juice (and you don’t have to worry about the milk curdling, it’s coconut milk!).
Gluten free
Regular pancakes for lunch are boring! Then maybe pancakes with coconut milk? Try making gluten-free vegetarian pancakes using coconut milk instead of regular milk and let the flavors of the tropics fill you.
Lightness and aroma
I want something special, light and aromatic for breakfast... Prepare light vegetarian smoothie made from coconut milk, berries and ripe bananas (you can add a handful of toasted coconut or oatmeal for texture if you like).
Whipped Coconut Cream
Use them instead regular cream. Fluffy whipped cream is easy to make: scoop the thickest part of the coconut milk that forms at the top of the container, add something sweet to taste, and then beat until fluffy with a hand mixer.
Perfect baked goods
Add coconut milk to caramel sauce or into heated chocolate to then decorate with bakery products, ice cream or cookies. Or, add it to cookies for flavor and aroma.
Cocktail time
If you like pina colada, mix coconut frozen cubes with dark rum and pineapple juice. Or add cubes to a smoothie orange juice and vodka or coffee liqueur to create a truly tropical cocktail.
Who among us doesn’t remember the advertisement for the Bounty bar? It was this bar that gave the idea that using coconut you can create any dish with coconut milk. And in some ways the creators of this video are right. Coconut milk is truly a gift from the exotic nature of the East. It contains the following vitamins we need:
- A (healthy skeleton, teeth, beauty);
- B (cellular metabolism);
- D (height);
- C (strengthening protective functions);
fiber, whole mineral complex, carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Very high in calories - 100 grams contain 232 kcal. So dishes with coconut milk will become a real decoration of your table. But, some people may have allergic reactions to coconut and fructose (like honey). What to do? Just something to consider.
How to use coconut milk? It is widely used in cosmetology and Food Industry, namely in:
- creams;
- lotions;
- leather cleaners;
- cooking;
- first and second courses;
- side dishes
Vegetable oil is made from it. It is also a substitute for any other milk (goat, cow). What is it like? It is a whitish, sweetish milky liquid. Different from coconut juice (the liquid in the nut itself).
Cooking method
The finished product can be bought in the store. But, fresh is always better, so let’s talk about preparing it at home. Necessary:
- nut or shavings;
- half a faceted glass of water;
- blender (or grater);
- gauze.
Open the nut and peel it. Grind its pulp. Pour hot boiled water. Leave for about 40 minutes. Then squeeze out the juice through cheesecloth (you can use a press to squeeze out juices). Store for no more than 4-5 days, at a temperature of 5-8 degrees Celsius. All is ready. And we have prepared recipes for you that use such healthy and versatile coconut milk.
First
Soup - pork with coconut
This dish successfully combines Thai cuisine and our favorite pork.
Cut 200 g pork into small pieces. Add a little water, add salt and cook until tender. Then add olive oil (40 g) to the broth and simmer until the liquid evaporates. Grate 50 g of celery, chop 50 g of the white part of the leek. Boil in another saucepan. Mix the meat with herbs, add chopped nutmeg, and cook a little more. When ready, add 20 g of coconut milk, 10 g of vinegar. If desired, add salt and a little pepper. You can add black to taste ground pepper And nutmeg. Ready.
Lenten dishes with coconut milk
Puree soup for those who count calories, fast, or simply for lovers of low-fat food. Products:
- potato;
- carrot;
- water;
- garlic;
- coconut milk;
- salt;
- greenery;
- spices (preferences).
Cut 250 g of potatoes and carrots (finely) into the soup. Pour in 350 g of water, add salt, and cook until tender (about 15 minutes). Make puree. Place the finished mixture in a blender, add 1 clove of garlic, 100 g of milk, and beat. Ready soup decorate with greenery.
It turned out delicious. We enjoy eating first courses made from coconut milk.
Second
Fragrant chicken
Unusual and at the same time extraordinary delicious second, using chicken fillet that is familiar to all of us. You will need:
- a little water (as needed);
- 500 g chicken meat;
- 1 onion;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- ginger up to 2 cm thick;
- 1 chili;
- half a teaspoon of salt and turmeric;
- 1 cut glass of coconut milk;
- 2 bay leaves;
- vegetable oil (frying).
Cut the meat into pieces. Chop the onion. Place in a blender along with garlic, salt, ginger root, turmeric and pepper. Beat until smooth. Fry the resulting paste in a frying pan until it has a pleasant aroma. Then put the chopped meat there. Simmer over low heat until ready. You can add a little water. When ready, add milk. Boil. Switch off. Then let it brew under the lid. Chicken fillet Can be eaten with any side dish.
Stewed cabbage and more
And again Thai cuisine combines, it would seem, “our products” - white cabbage and pork. Cook rado in a special deep frying pan. Chop 450 grams of cabbage. Cut 120 g lean pork.
First, heat 14 peppercorns on it. Then pour in 2 tablespoons coconut cream. Add chopped shallots and mix everything. Fry for about 3 minutes. Add cabbage and meat there. Stir-fry (3-5 minutes). Pour in 200 g of coconut milk and boil. Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Open. Fry for about 10 minutes. The main thing is that the cabbage does not turn into soft porridge. Then pour in a little fish sauce(when ready) and stir everything. Sprinkle chili on top (to taste).
Ingredients:
- coconut cream and milk;
- shallot;
- cabbage;
- pork;
- sauce;
- Chile.
We were convinced that making the second one from coconut milk is very accessible, simple and amazingly tasty.
Seasonings
Now let's try to make a sauce from coconut milk. Required Products:
- butter;
- flour;
- coconut milk;
- nutmeg (grated);
- salt;
- seasonings as desired;
- soy sauce;
- garlic;
- Chile;
- boiled shrimp.
Prepare step by step
"Coconut Beshamal" Chop 2 cloves of garlic. Peel the chili and chop it finely. Melt butter (30 grams) in a small saucepan and add the same amount of flour. Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat for a maximum of 2 minutes. Pour in two faceted glasses of milk, boil, add flaked almonds, spices of your choice (salt, pepper). Cook on a divider for no more than 20 minutes. Switch off. Add 1 tablespoon to the mixture soy sauce and ready-made chopped garlic.
Melt 20 grams butter until golden brown, add 80 grams of cream, mix. Then add chili (20 g green and 10 g red, finely chopped) and pour in the Bechamel. Stir until smooth. At the end, add 250 grams of boiled shrimp. Cook a little. Mix everything thoroughly again until completely homogeneous. Coconut milk sauce is a great addition to any dish.
Coconut milk cocktail
Hot party
Place ice cubes in a blender. Add and mix 30 ml of vodka and rum, 10 ml of vanilla tincture, 20 ml of orange juice and coconut milk, 40 ml of pineapple juice and 30 ml of cream. Serve chilled in a large glass. Trust me, the party will be great.
Cheerfulness
Boil 2 tsp in 150 grams of water. ground coffee. Strain if necessary. Pour into blender. Add 150 ml of coconut milk and 2 tsp (optional) regular sugar. Beat until foam appears. You can sprinkle 1 tsp on top. coconut flakes. The invigorating drink is ready.
So, you've learned what to do with coconut milk. Cook and enjoy. Believe me, your masterpieces will not leave anyone indifferent.
