While the provided reference describes making coconut milk from shredded coconut, it doesn't explain how to make coconut milk powder. Therefore, here's a comprehensive guide on how coconut milk powder is generally made, which involves dehydration and other processes:
Coconut milk powder isn't something you can realistically make at home with typical kitchen equipment. The process involves significant dehydration and often the addition of stabilizers. However, I can outline the general industrial steps and offer some VERY limited home-scale adaptations (with a strong warning that the results will be different and have a short shelf life).
Industrial Process for Coconut Milk Powder
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Coconut Extraction and Preparation:
- Fresh coconuts are husked, the flesh is extracted, and then the coconut milk is pressed out. This usually involves grinding the coconut flesh and then using a screw press or similar equipment to extract the liquid.
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Standardization and Formulation:
- The coconut milk is standardized to a specific fat content. Stabilizers like maltodextrin, tapioca starch, or sodium caseinate are often added to improve the powder's flowability, prevent caking, and enhance its shelf life. These also prevent the fat from separating.
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Homogenization:
- The coconut milk is homogenized to create a stable emulsion, preventing fat separation during drying.
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Drying:
- Spray Drying: This is the most common method. The coconut milk is sprayed as a fine mist into a hot air chamber. The water evaporates quickly, leaving behind the powder. This process requires specialized spray drying equipment.
- Freeze Drying: (Less Common for Coconut Milk Powder): The coconut milk is frozen and then subjected to a vacuum environment. The ice sublimates directly into vapor, leaving behind the dried powder. While this preserves flavor well, it's more expensive.
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Cooling and Packaging:
- The powder is cooled quickly to prevent caking and degradation. Then, it is packaged in airtight containers or bags, often with desiccants to absorb any remaining moisture.
A Highly Simplified and Imperfect Home Attempt
Warning: This will NOT create a true coconut milk powder and will have a very limited shelf life, even if refrigerated.
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Make Coconut Milk (as per the initial reference):
- Shred coconut.
- Add lukewarm water (about half the volume of the coconut).
- Blend thoroughly.
- Strain through a cheesecloth or nut milk bag.
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Dehydration (Attempt):
- Oven Dehydration (Lowest Setting - 170-200F / 77-93C): Spread the coconut milk very thinly on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Bake for several hours, checking frequently, until completely dry and brittle. This is difficult to achieve without burning.
- Food Dehydrator: A food dehydrator is a slightly better option, but still challenging. Spread thinly and dehydrate at the lowest setting for an extended period.
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Grinding (Maybe):
- If you are successful in creating a brittle, completely dry sheet, you might be able to grind it in a high-powered blender or spice grinder. This will likely result in a clumpy, oily substance, not a fine powder.
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Storage:
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Even then, expect a very short shelf life (a few days to a week in the refrigerator, perhaps a month in the freezer). Due to the high fat content, it will likely go rancid quickly.
Why this doesn't really work: The key to real coconut milk powder is rapid dehydration in a controlled environment with added stabilizers to manage the fat content. Without those, you're just creating a dried, oily coconut solid that doesn't reconstitute well.
