How to make coconut water and coconut milk

Coconut with the soft 'eye' pearced

Coconut water ready to be strained

Use a blunt knife to carefully pry flesh from the hard shell

After being blitzed in the Thermomix with boiling water

Strain through a sieve

Delicious, fresh coconut milk

I was all geared up to cook Thai Basil Chicken tonight (I'll share the recipe soon - it was really yummy) but realised I didn't have coconut milk which the recipe requires.

I stopped by our local supermarket to get a can of coconut milk but as I didn't have the kids with me, I actually had a bit of time to check the ingredients list.  I couldn't believe how many numbers appeared there!  One brand actually didn't have coconut in it - just coconut flavour!

I decided that today would be a good day to get a fresh coconut and start making my own coconut products!

So, here's the steps to make your own coconut milk.

To find a fresh coconut, check that it has three 'eyes' and give it a gentle shake to make sure you can hear the liquid inside.  This is the coconut water.

Firstly, you'll need to drain the coconut water.  Just get the tip of a sharp knife and poke the soft 'eye' of the coconut. You'll hear a soft hissing sound once you create a puncture, make the hole as big as you can by carefully using the tip of the knife.

Drain the coconut water out of the coconut into a clean bowl.  You will then need to strain this liquid to get rid of any other coconut residue.  You can use this water for so many purposes, such as smoothies, cooking or just to drink as a healthy treat.  I used some to mix the cornflour with in my Thai Basil Chicken recipe!

You will then need a hammer to tap firmly on the coconut until it cracks.  I used a chopping board to do this on.  Keep using the hammer to get the coconut to break into smaller chunks.

I then used a blunt ended knife and very carefully used the end to pry the coconut flesh from the hard shell.  You'll find a dark covering over the coconut flesh where the shell was.  If this bothers you, use a peeler to peel it and it will easily come away.  As it doesn't alter the taste at all, I just left mine.

I put the small chunks of coconut flesh into my Thermomix and added 3-4 cups of boiling water.  Then carefully bring the Thermomix to speed 10 (I did this very slowly in stages as you don't want the water to splash out) and blitz for about 30 seconds.

Pour the mixture over a strainer positioned over a large bowl.  Use clean hands to push the coconut milk through the strainer leaving just the shredded coconut.

It was seriously the best tasting coconut milk!  I used it straight away in my cooking which turned out brilliantly, filled with amazing flavour.