This is a blog post on fresh coconut how to open and grate. After cooking lots of Malaysian food I would just love to use fresh coconut milk to make some of those recipes. The reason is that it taste so much more superior than the ones from tin. It has has no preservatives and funny after taste that comes from the tin ones. It is definitely much more superior quality. the is no doubt about that. However, it is much harder to control the calories count I suppose just use it more diluted. Once the coconut is grated it is possible to store it in the freezer for a few months.
Coconut milk comes from inside of an old coconut the nice thick flesh comes from. There are a few kitchen gadgets that can grate the coconut flesh as it is tough. I bought a hand coconut flesh grater from eBay. If it is coconut milk then just blender to grate down the coconut. It is also possible to use ready open fresh coconut but most come with the thin layer of brown husk still intact.
How to open and grate fresh coconut
Here is how to do it. First of all, is to buy one or two fresh coconuts which is available from Tesco or Sainsbury’s or in local grocers. I say two is just that sometimes the coconut will not open nicely as it should. Therefore less chance of flesh is easily obtained.
First of all open the eye with a screwdriver. this so the drain the coconut water out of the coconut first. It is normally not much water in the coconut. About 50-80 mls of coconut water. Then rest it on and wrap the towel around the coconut. Using a hammer give a few knocks so as to crack the coconut open. It can take a few knocks before the coconut cracks open.
coconut 
coconut eye open and cracked
Hopefully it will open into two equal sides but sometimes it does not. Using a hand coconut grater just scrape the flesh out of the coconut husk. The shops just use a machine to scrape it but this doing it at home method. It takes time as the flesh is hard. If not using the flesh to eat or cook then grate right down to the husk. Sometimes the husk just seperates away from the flesh. This is when a blender is needed to grate the flesh down with the thin layer of husk still intact. Use those to make coconut milk. There will be nice white grated coconut flesh and a mixture of husk and white grated flesh.
coconut grater with coconut 
Grated coconut out of coconut
Thank you for dropping by and reading. And happy and good luck to grating coconut. Have a look at my recipes that uses coconut like Kuih ketayap.
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