Add the warm water to the grated coconut and mix well. Give the pulp a few squeezes to extract the flavours to prepare it for extraction and sieve the mixture over a bowl. This 1st round of extraction produces coconut cream or santan which is thick, creamy and has a high-fat content.
For the 2nd round of extraction, add 500ml of boiled water (that has been cooled) to the grated coconut. Repeat like how you did the first time, squeezing and sieving the mixture. This second round produces a lighter coconut milk, unlike the santan.
Add a pinch of salt to the coconut cream, as well as to the coconut milk. Leave in the fridge until it is ready to cook. The coconut cream and coconut milk can be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days and in the freezer for 2-3 weeks after extraction.
Notes
MARKETING TIPS
You can get freshly grated coconut from the wet market.
You can also buy the freshly squeezed coconut milk (first pressed) from certain market
COOKING TIPS
Using warm water makes it easier to extract the coconut cream from the coconut.
Instead of using your hands and a sieve, you can choose to use a cheesecloth or muslin for extraction.
Coconut milk needs to be refrigerated immediately as it turns rancid quickly especially in warm climates.
Need to add salt to prevent it from getting rancid fast. Salt also brings out the fragrance of the coconut milk and it does not make you feel very 'jelak' and bloated especially when it is use to make dessert.