Ulogs #10 - How to make COCONUT CREAM and COCONUT MILK at home

Ulogs #10 - How to make COCONUT CREAM and COCONUT MILK at home

Nowadays, we widely buy ingredients in the market which are ready to use.
Powdered Coconut Milk and Coconut milk usually seen in can. Using coconut cream and milk in its raw ingredient are much better to use than with the ready to use. Gladly it is easy to do at home.

Most Filipinos or other Asians already know how to make coconut milk or cream.
For those who are not familiar with coconut milk or cream, see procedure below to make it.

HOW TO MAKE COCONUT CREAM and COCONUT MILK AT HOME

1.First thing we need is grated mature coconut (niyog in Filipino). You can buy it on a wet market.

2.Put the grated coconut on a basin or large bowl. If you bought one coconut, pour 1cup of warm water

3.Mash it with your hands until the milk goes out of the pulp. Repeat the process several times

4.Then scoop out a handful of the pulp and put it in a piece of clean cloth and grip it with your hands until the milk pours down the basin.

5.Transfer the extracted pulp to another container. Repeat the process until there are almost no pulp left on the basin.

6.Strain the remaining pulp to a container.

7.You now have the Coconut Cream(kakang gata in Filipino).

8.To extract coconut milk or the second press, put the extracted pulp again on the basin and pour 1 cup of warm water and repeat step #4, #5 and #6

9.You now have the Coconut Milk(gata in Filipino)

COCONUT CREAM or COCONUT MILK?

COCONUT CREAM is the creamier, thicker version. While COCONUT MILK is usually the thinner or the second press from the extracted pulp.

Whenever you use coconut milk in a recipe, it adds a certain sweetness, creaminess, and overall delicious flavor that is unique to the coconut.

Just to add about the coconut milk (gata).
The coconut tree is called the tree of life for good reason. Buko juice or coconut water has already gained prominence worldwide but that's where the popularity of eating the coconut has ended.

Our Asian neighbors know the value of the coconut not just for its buko juice, thankfully, so do we.

BICOL EXPRESS is one of few recipes we put coconut milk (gata).