Virgin Coconut Oil

Have you ever looked at the price tag of Virgin coconut oil in the stores ?
Have you ever heard about the values of Virgin coconut oil for human lives ?
Fact: Both are significantly higher 🙂

Forget about the myths of coconut & coconut oil being threatened as a high-cholesterol stuff to be refrained from !

Coconut oil is rich in saturated fats but they do provide the much needed good cholesterol to the body.

Lauric acid, an immune-multiplier is highly concentrated in Mother’s milk and it has anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-protozoa properties. Coconut oil has nearly 50% Lauric acid in it. How could you say no to this unique composition ?!!

Coconut oil can also be applied topically as it moisturizes the skin & hair and act as sunscreen. It takes care of your dental health when used for oil pulling, atleast once in a week.

It can generally be used as a before and after Nappy lotion for babies. Especially for girl babies, when they get itching and irritations in the vaginal outer walls, coconut oil does miracle in curing this. It can be applied in the anal area too when baby passes hard stool.

The above mentioned benefits could only be bestowed by virgin coconut oil and not the refined one ! Thanks to my neighbour Bharathi akka who have introduced me to our ancestral practice of making virgin coconut oil @home. I have explored & attempted many trials in this for the past 1 year and here you go with an easy extraction ..

Virgin Coconut oil Recipe – Ingredients

Preparation Time : 15 mins | Cooking Time : 15 mins | Waiting Time : 6 hrs

Makes : 1/2 Cup | Suits: 8+ Months babies and whole family

Coconuts – 2

Preparation

Take 2 coconuts(not dried ones) that we normally use for cooking. Break each into 2 halves and reserve the coconut water(filter if required). Using coconut knife(as in pic below) or any sharp knife, take out thin pieces.

2. Grind it in mixie. Add coconut water and normal water(no measurement needed. Just add as required). Grind it finely. Depending upon your mixie jar size, repeat this step in 2-3 batches.

3. Take a wide mouthed container and tie a thin cotton cloth around its mouth. Pour the ground coconut over the cloth. Untie the cloth and hold all the corners in one hand and squeeze out the coconut milk(Thick or First milk) using the other hand.

4. After squeezing out the milk, separately gather the coconut mass held up inside the cloth. Repeat this process until all done. Pour some hot water into the gathered mass and let it soak for 5-10 mins. Again squeeze out the milk(Thin or Second milk) from it.

5. Coconut milk is ready. Keep the container covered and leave it untouched for 3 to 4 hours. Keep it untouched and allow it to ferment. You could witness the water settled down and the cream raised up to a separate layer. Now, move it to refrigerator and let it be inside for 3 hrs to 4 hrs. I left it in the fridge overnight!

6. Take out of refrigeration. The cream(top layer) would have been solidified and you could easily cut it with knife like a cake .

7. Collect the creamy cake slices to a thick bottomed pan. You shall filter out the broken pieces of the cream and collect it as well. Leave the viscous white layer settled in the bottom.

8. Switch on the stove in high flame. The slices melt down and bubbles up. Keep stirring. When oil starts to separate, it pops up. At this stage, reduce the flame(do not fully simmer) and keep stirring.

9. Oil and white residue starts to separate. It will start sticking to the pan and so keep stirring. Even if oil is well separated, stir for some more time until the residue looses its moisture.

10. The white residue turns to brown colour and this is the right stage to switch off the stove. It took 15 mins for me to reach this stage, but it varies depending upon the coconut and climate. While it is still hot, pour the oil along with the residue into a filter/sieve placed on top of a container. Leave it for an hour so that all dripping oil from the residue is collected.

Pure and healthy Virgin coconut oil is ready 🙂 The collected brown residue is still healthy and it can be used to make laddoo, which I will post sooner 😉 [Update: Click here for laddoo recipe]

Tips/Tricks

Do not skip coconut water as it acts as a catalyst to expedite fermentation.
If you are using more than 2 coconuts, you shall grate the coconut instead of slicing to avoid overheating of mixie.
If you are using 5+ coconuts, you shall grate the coconuts and grind it in grinder as that will save time and avoid overheating of mixie.
Refrigeration is optional. You can directly scoop out the cream after fermentation and start boiling. But it might take extra few mins in stove as the water content will be little more compared to refrigerated one.
Some people even skip fermentation and just take the coconut milk and start boiling. But it will double your boiling time!
This oil keeps well for 4+ months in room temperature and 6+ months if refrigerated.

Nutritional Benefits

Virgin Coconut oil – Lauric acid, Polyphenols, Anti-oxidants, Vitamin E, vitamin K and minerals such as iron