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How to crack open and grate a husked coconut

Post date: 04-Apr-2015 13:52:47

On more than one occasion, I've seen people on TV cooking shows attempt to crack open a coconut, not very successfully. While the easiest way to crack a coconut may be to throw it on a hard surface or bash it with a hammer, the problem with these methods is that the coconut breaks up into several pieces and you end up losing the coconut water. There is a much better way. It does require the use of a heavy knife, like a cleaver, but you get to catch the coconut water and you get the coconut in two halves. Here's how to do it.

1. Have a bowl or jug ready to catch the coconut water.
2. Hold the coconut horizontally in the palm of one hand so that the 'eyes' and 'tail' face sideways (a husked coconut has three 'eyes' at one end and a 'tail' at the other end).
3. Take the cleaver in your other hand. Hold it upside down so that the blunt edge of the blade is facing down.
4. Strike the coconut in the middle with the blunt edge of the cleaver a couple of times. When you see a hairline crack appear on the shell, rotate the coconut and continue to strike along the middle so that the crack travels around the coconut. Now give it one strong strike.
5. Hold the coconut over the bowl or jug to catch the water and use the point of the cleaver to prise the coconut open.
6. Once the water has drained, pull the two halves apart.

The best way to get the flesh out of the shells is to use a coconut grater. There are a few different kinds available. The one I have is a sit-on type, a stool with a metal grating blade attached at one end. This is how I use my sit-on coconut grater.

1. Put a wide shallow blow or plate under the blade to catch the gratings.
2. Sit astride on the grater. I find the stool too low for me, so I put it on two bricks to give it some height.
3. Position the coconut half so that its centre rests on the serrated edge of the blade. Cup the coconut shell firmly with both hands and move it down until you get to the edge of the shell. The flesh will scrape on the blade as you move the coconut down. Repeat this a few times and then rotate the coconut and repeat. Alternatively, you may want to start by scraping the edge of the coconut first, going all around the circumference before going to the centre. Occasionally, lift the shell and push the grated coconut collected on the blade into the bowl.

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