In the southern part of India, where coconut grows in abundance, it finds its way into many dishes. Fresh or dried, grated or ground, it adds flavor to the dish.
I remember the old-fashioned scraper in the kitchen used when I was a kid. It was a metal blade shaped like a scythe, at the end of which was a circular metal disk with sharp teeth. The metal blade was mounted on a square block of wood. To scrape the coconut, you had first to remove the husk, then split the brown kernel in half. Next, you set up the scraper on the floor with a bowl or tray to catch the grated coconut. You sat on your haunches on the floor and steadied the board with the weight of one foot. Holding the coconut half against the scraping metal, you would move it back and forth across the grate, and the white meat would fall into the receiving bowl or plate. The metal teeth were sharp, and you had to be careful. The best part was the sharp blade was used to cut meat and poultry. It was always fascinating to watch the cook doing it. We were not allowed near the gadget, of course!
These days they have coconut graters that you can mount on the kitchen counter. It has a handle to swivel the grater head and scrape the meat off the coconut. It does a pretty effective job. If you cannot get a fresh frozen pack of coconut meat and do not own a scraping gadget, buy a whole brown coconut from the grocery store with the husk removed. Shake it to see if you can hear the water swish inside. That means it is still fresh. Knock it against a hard surface to split it in half. You might have to break it into two pieces to do that. Cut away the outer brown part and use a standing grater. Grate the white coconut meat only.
Here is a raita made with coconut, which we enjoy with any pilaf.
Coconut Raita
Ingredients
- ¾ cup freshly grated coconut (Roasted ground cumin and red chili powder (paprika orCayenne) for Garnish)
- 1½ cup plain yogurt (whole, lowfat, or fat free)
- ½ small onion (chopped fine)
- 1 medium Serrano chili (to your taste, chopped fine)
- 2 tbsp fresh green cilantro (chopped fine)
- ½ cup water
- salt (to taste)
- Dash roasted ground cumin and chili powder (paprika or cayenne) (for garnish)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, beat the yogurt with water and salt until smooth.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
- Pour into a serving dish and garnish with the roasted ground cumin, pepper, and chili powder.
- Serve with an Indian meal of Pilaf or plain boiled rice, dal, sabzi, or curry.
- As with the cucumber raita, it can also eat it as a snack.
Notes
