Tender

Coconut Malai Shake

Recipe Perfect For Summer Hydration

Tender coconut malai shake is one of the most satisfying things you can put in a glass on a hot day. Made with fresh tender coconut malai, sweet coconut water, cold milk, and vanilla ice cream, this shake is thick, cooling, fragrant, and genuinely refreshing in a way that no artificial coconut flavouring comes close to. The recipe is inspired by the coconut shakes popular across Southeast Asia, most famously originating in Singapore and Malacca-style street stalls. Therein, tender coconut flesh is blended with ice cream and milk into a rich, creamy drink that retains visible bits of malai. The key to a great tender coconut malai shake is the quality of the coconut itself: choose a young green coconut that feels heavy, sounds full when you knock against the nut, and yields a generous scoop of soft malai. The water inside should smell fresh, not sour and faintly sweet, and the malai should be white, not brown. Unlike other milkshakes, the sweetness in a tender coconut malai shake is almost entirely natural, from the coconut water, the malai, and the ice cream. There is no added sugar in the recipe, which makes it feel lighter and fresher than its creamy texture suggests. Use a blender to make it into a smooth drink, or reserve a spoonful of malai and stir it in after blending the shake, if you want a more textured drink.