Going Raw: Adventures in Uncooking

How to Open a Young Coconut

May 2, 2011 at 12:04 am | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

As a follow-up to my post with the Thai Coconut Soup recipe, I present: How to Open a Young Coconut! My mom taught me how to do this just a few weeks ago, and she had been taught by another raw food enthusiast. This technique works for us, so if you are unfamiliar with opening coconuts then I hope it is helpful to you too.

Before we go into the instructions, I should answer a common question: why in the world am I going through the trouble of opening a coconut — whose rock-hard exterior makes it one of the most daunting fruits ever to be put in a grocery cart — when canned coconut milk is available in nearly every food store these days?

Well, this is why. First, it tastes WAY BETTER this way. Canned coconut milk is metallic-tasting and heavy compared to the subtle flavor of the fresh stuff. You may not notice a difference between canned and fresh coconut milk in typical cooked foods made in the U.S.A, since there are often several other strong-tasting ingredients competing for flavor, but I can guarantee that you’d taste the difference in a raw meal like the Thai Soup.

Secondly, coconut has all kinds of Very Awesome Health Benefits, like promoting weight loss, strengthening your immune system, and providing nutrients often lacking in the American diet. But as with all food, the benefits are more absorbable to your body if you eat it as fresh as possible, unprocessed in manufacturing facilities, without any additives — which means braving the hard shell of a whole coconut.

And just to clear up any confusion on this point: nope, coconut milk from a can is not raw. Not even a little bit.

So, that is why I recommend trying your hand at opening these suckers. It is not exactly intuitive, but once you successfully open your first one you will always know how to do it. Now, without further ado:

STEP ONE!
Procure one or two young coconuts. This is what they look like:

Your local Asian or Mexican market will probably carry these. To pick a good one, put your thumb on the bottom of the fruit. It should be firm with a slight springiness. If it is REALLY soft and spongy, it is probably still alright but past its freshness date. If you are not sure, you can always ask an employee of the store and they may help you choose one.

When young coconuts are picked from the tree, they are actually green, but by the time they get to the States they become cream-colored as you see above. If they are left on the tree to mature, then they develop the brown, fibrous husk that is usually associated with coconuts. At that point, however, the meat on the inside becomes harder, so that you cannot make coconut milk out of it. And the moral of this story is: do not buy a brown coconut if you want to make milk.

STEP TWO!
Cut or tear off the plastic around the top of the coconut. Do not remove the plastic completely, because before coconuts are shipped overseas they are dipped in chemicals to keep the bugs off of them during transport. I think formaldehyde is a popular chemical used for the purpose. Since these fruits have a thick protective shell with an effective filtration system, you do not need to worry about the formaldehyde contaminating your coconut milk, but still, you do not want formaldehyde all over your hands when preparing food so I recommend leaving as much plastic intact as possible.

Then, tilt the coconut on its side, grab a large sharp knife, and saw at the husk near the top. Your goal is to shave off the husk until you reveal the top of the brown inner shell, per the image below.

STEP THREE!
Now you need to cut off the top of the brown inner shell. To do this, make a lid by puncturing the shell in a circle around the top. The best tool I have found for this is the “chin” of your big knife. (I call it a “chin,” but if you know the proper term for this part of the knife, please tell me!)

Using that part of the knife, whack your coconut shell so that it cracks or creates holes.

Then, use the top of your knife to pry open the lid you made. If the lid is not coming up easily, puncture some more holes and then try again.

Now, you have succeeding in opening the coconut and you have access to the deliciousness inside. In some coconuts, the water will look slightly lavender, or light brown. If this is the case, it’s alright — the coconut isn’t spoiled or anything. (It IS possible to get a spoiled coconut, but you can tell easily by smelling or tasting it. If it tastes or smells sour, it is no good.) Anyway, there is some normal variation in coconut water color.

Pour out the coconut water into a bowl, then spoon out the remaining soft coconut meat. To make coconut milk, just blend the water and the meat together.

As I mentioned before, I found this process a little difficult the first time, but after that it became easy. What is your experience opening coconuts or other exotic fruits?