Coconut Milk 3 cups

This easy concoction greatly enhances any number of dishes. Fresh coconut gives the milk a more delicate flavor, but the desiccated meat may also used.

Place in a saucepan:

1 cup grated coconut

Pour over it:

3 cups boiling water

Cover tightly and infuse (like tea) for thirty minutes. Pour liquid through a fine sieve, pressing all the moisture from the coconut. Discard the coconut, as it is now tasteless.

Coconut Rice

Bring to a boil:

3 cups coconut milk

Add:

1 cup rice
Salt to taste
1 blade lemon, or citronella grass, slightly crushed

Bring to a second boil, reduce heat and simmer for twenty minutes or until rice is dry. Discard the citronella grass before serving. Coconut rice is an excellent accompaniment for curries.