Home-made Coconut Cooking Oil
I was brought by Balinese guide, Ketut Sudarma, to the home of Ibu Made Aris, 43yrs old, (Ibu in Indonesian language means mother and is an honorific for ladies), in the village of Kanciana, Gunung Salak, Tabanan, Bali, Indonesia. She was going to teach me the art of home-made unrefined Coconut Oil or Minyak Kelapa in Indonesian and Malay languages, or Lengis Nyuh in Balinese. It is a skill that Balinese daughters learn from their mothers, and a task done by women of the house.
Teresa Teo Guttensohn learning the art of making home-made Coconut Oil (Minyak Kelapa) in Bali.
Tools for Making Coconut Oil (Minyak Kelapa)
(Names in Balinese/Indonesian languages were provided by local guide, Ketut Sudarma)
Parang (knife)
Pengesan (stake or sharp-pointed stick for de-husking coconut)
Penyeluhan (specialized curved tool for digging out coconut flesh)
Kikihan (grater)
Kuskusan (bamboo sieve)
Funnel
Glass bottle with lid
Glossary of Local Terms for Coconut
(Names in Balinese/Indonesian languages were provided by local guide, Ketut Sudarma)
Usam (grated coconut flesh)
Santan (coconut milk or cream)
Sambuk (coconut husk)
Kaunbulu (coconut shell)
Daun kelapa (coconut leaf)
Nyuh (coconut meat or flesh)
Ingredients for Making Coconut Oil (Minyak Kelapa)
5 old coconuts (kelapa) (Cocos nucifera)
6 litres of warm water

METHOD FOR MAKING COCONUT OIL
(Minyak Kelapa in Indonesian and Malay languages or Lengis Nyuh in Balinese)

STEP A - REMOVE HUSK
Take five old coconuts (kelapa). Remove coconut husk (sambuk) from kernel with aid of a stake/sharp-pointed stick (pengesan) in the ground and tear off any remaining husk by hand.

STEP B - REMOVE COCONUT MEAT
Use a knife (parang) to crack the kernel and drain liquid from coconut. Remove coconut flesh (nyuh) from coconut shell (kaunbulu) using a specialised tool (penyeluhan) for digging out coconut flesh or any suitable tool or spoon.

STEP C - GRATE COCONUT MEAT
Next, grate meat or flesh of 5 old coconuts (kepala) using manual grater (kikihan), or for faster results, an electric grater if available.

STEP D - ADD WARM WATER
After grating, add 6 litres of warm water to grated coconut flesh (usam). Mix well by hand.

STEP E - STRAIN COCONUT MILK
Strain out coconut milk (santan) with a bamboo sieve and then continue squeezing out coconut milk with a finer cloth sieve.

STEP F - PUT COCONUT MILK IN POT
After extracting the milk, the remains of grated coconut flesh (usam) can be fried and used for cooking purposes. (Ibu Made feeds them raw to her free range chickens at home.) Place coconut milk (santan) in a pot for boiling.

STEP G - BOIL COCONUT MILK
Boil coconut milk (santan) over high heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding some water as and when necessary. (Ibu Made uses parts of the coconut tree such as coconut husk (sambuk) and coconut leaves (daun kelapa) as starting fuel for her fire so nothing is wasted.)

STEP H - REMOVE COCONUT OIL LAYER
Remove pot from the fire. Remove top layer of coconut oil with a ladle and place into another frying pan or wok.

STEP I - FRY COCONUT OIL
Fry coconut oil in wok or pan for another 15 minutes to ensure all water has evaporated.

STEP J - COOL COCONUT OIL
Transfer coconut oil from frying wok or pan to a metal basin or pot to cool down. To allow hot coconut oil to cool faster, place the basin or pot within a larger basin filled with water.

STEP K - STORE OIL IN BOTTLE
When coconut oil has cooled completely, transfer oil using a funnel into a dry, clean glass bottle for storage. (Ibu Made makes her own bio-degradable funnel using rolled up banana leaves and a clean re-used plastic bottle in place of a glass bottle.)

STEP L - COCONUT OIL COLOUR
I was told such home-made coconut oil can be kept for up to two weeks. Virgin coconut oil (meaning subject to less processing - refining at lower temperatures and no chemicals added) made from fresh coconut is translucent or clear when liquefied, but will solidify and turn whitish when kept in colder temperatures. In that case, warm coconut oil by placing oil bottle in basin of warm water.

In conclusion, the entire process of boiling down coconut milk to make coconut oil is actually relatively simple. The first time may seem difficult, but experience should make it easier each time. Happy and healthy cooking with your very own home-made Minyak Kelapa!

Use of Coconut Oil in Bali
Coconut oil (Minyak Kelapa) is basically often made at home as it is the preferred oil for cooking in Bali since coconut oil has a fragrant flavour, and can withstand high heat without burning, thus the hot oil cooks food rapidly without penetrating it.
This is what Bruce Fife C.N., N.D., certified nutritionist and naturopathic doctor, President of the Coconut Research Center, Colorado Springs, USA, says about coconut oil: "being a highly saturated fat, is the least vulnerable of all the dietary oils to oxidation and free-radical formation and therefore is the safest to use in cooking.The medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) in coconut oil give it properties that make it unique and considered by many to be the healthiest oil on earth."
Besides for cooking, coconut oil in Bali serves multi-purposes, such as lubricant for body massages, as skin moisturizer and hair conditioner, for soothing insect bites and nappy rashes, and for making of the all important Jamu (traditional Indonesian herbal remedy).

Coconut Oil in Traditional and Modern Medicine
Coconut oil is one of the earliest oils used as food and as medicine, such as the Ayurvedic medicine of India. In the past, coconut oil received negative publicity due to certain agendas in the West, primarily generated by the American Soybean Association. Contrary to what is believed by the common man and even health professionals, the saturated fats found in coconut oil are actually good for you. Coconut oil is now acknowledged to have innumerable health benefits, and modern scientific research now supports traditional belief in the curative powers of coconut oil.

Coconut Oil Miracle
Bruce Fife C.N., N.D., is author of several books including "The Coconut Oil Miracle". He states that "Modern medical science is just now beginning to unlock the healing secrets of coconut oil. Research is showing that coconut oil has many practical applications as medicine." The book explains that "the health benefits of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) in coconut oil are many.Lauric acid is an extremely important nutrient that provides some very valuable health benefits. Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid."

The book also details how coconut oil contains a remarkable fat called monolaurin, naturally available from mother´s milk and coconut oil, and how coconut oil is nature´s elixir that can strengthen the immune system, prevent heart disease, cancer and many other degenerative diseases, prevent premature aging of the skin, promote weight loss and beautify hair.