Homemade Coconut Milk

Ingredients:

• 1 fresh coconut — cracked, flesh removed from shell, peeled & chopped
• 1.5 cup of filtered hot water
• reserved coconut water

Directions:

1. Crack a fresh coconut. Reserve coconut water and carefully remove flesh with a butter knife. Peel the brown coating on coconut flesh with a vegetable peeler.
2. Coarsely chop peeled coconut flesh and add it into a high-powered blender. Drizzle in hot water and reserved coconut water.
3. Blend until smooth. It will take a few minutes to break down the flesh.
4. Place a large strainer lined with a few layers of muslin/cheese cloth over a bowl. Add in blended coconut. With clean hands, gently squeeze out coconut milk as much as possible from pulp.
5. This would yield a thicker and creamier coconut milk consistency that is suitable in cooking or baking. Store coconut milk in an airtight jar for up to a week.
6. For drinking, return used coconut pulp back into blender with additional 1.5 cups of hot water or coconut water. Blend for a minute. Squeeze out as much coconut milk as possible. Allow coconut milk to sit in refrigerator until it separates. Skim out as much coconut oil from the top as possible. Coconut milk is ready to be consumed as a beverage.