Coconut Milk
The Thai Home-Cooking book gives all sorts of
instructions on the making of coconut milk.
From hardest to easiest:
- Shred pieces of coconut in a food processor (or buy pieces already
shredded. Mix equal parts of coconut and warm water, and let it
sit for 5 minutes. Press the mixture through a sieve, and you should
end up with one part thick coconut milk. To make thin coconut milk,
mix a half a part of water with gunk left in the sieve. Let it sit
for another 5 minutes, and press again through a sieve. Mix this with
the first pressing, and you get 1.5 parts thin coconut milk.
-
(From Jill Norman's spice book): Buy creamed coconut (lord knows
where you find this). Mix .5 parts with 1 part water to make 1
part thick milk. Mix .2 parts with 1 part water for 1 part thin.
-
Buy canned coconut milk. Use it from the can as thick. Dilute it
with 1/2 can water for thin.
I did #1 when I first made the Mussaman Nue,
and it was a colossal pain in the ass, bending
the sieve, and making a mess. I bought shredded coconut from the
health food store. Canned has worked fine in subsequent tries
(even though the book says to only use canned milk in emergencies).
You can get cans at any oriental grocer, and at some
supermarkets.
Jim Plank
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