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Have you ever been to a supermarket and seen something labeled “coconut” that didn’t look at all like a coconut to you? This strange object is the same size as a coconut, but it is covered in a white fibrous substance (known as the husk). Usually it is wrapped in plastic as well. Chefs and connoisseurs recognize these immediately as young coconuts, but if you’ve never had one before you may hesitate to buy one, especially if no one in the supermarket can tell you what the difference is between this and the brown shelled coconuts you’re used to seeing.
For example, you may wonder if this is a coconut that somehow has had the shell carefully removed, leaving the entire sphere of meat intact or, if not, how you can access this coconut. The pleasant surprise is that it is easier to open and use a young coconut than a mature (brown shelled) one, and it yields much more liquid (around 2 cups). The only drawback is there is far less meat and, to some, the meat is not considered palatable for direct consumption – young coconut meat is used for recipes.
SUPPLIES NEEDED:
• A young coconut.
• A sharp, strong knife (chef’s knife recommended).
• A towel or large rag.
• A hammer.
• A spoon (grapefruit spoon preferred).
• A strainer.
• Two bowls.
There are two ways to open a young coconut, depending on use. The first method following is if you need it to look nice for decorative purposes (for example, you plan on using the coconut water as an ingredient to a drink and serve the drink in the coconut shell with a pretty paper umbrella and straw). The second method is just the quickest way to remove the water and meat for use.
Decorative Instructions
- Step one: removing the husk.
Use your knife to cut away a section of husk from the top. The best method is to start just above where the husk angles in. Then slice upward, peeling off the husk. Repeat until the top section of husk is removed.
- Step two: cutting the shell.
Now that you have reached the shell, turn your knife so instead of cutting upwards, you will cut downwards and toward the inside of the coconut. Cut using pressure rather than a sawing motion. Once you have a decent section of the lid cut open (about a quarter or a third of the way around), you should be able to pop the lid off, using a combination of the knife underneath and your fingers pulling upwards. Be extremely careful during this process as it is easy for a knife to slip and cause serious injury to your fingers! Additionally, be careful not to tilt the coconut during this process or the coconut water may spill.
- Step three: removing the coconut water.
Now that your coconut is open, you can remove the water. Position your strainer over your bowl and tip the coconut to release all the water. If you intend to use your coconut as a fancy drink holder, you will skip step four and go directly to mixing your drink and then returning it to your coconut shell. I don’t like the taste of coconut water, but I save it to make my Sweet and Tangy Coconut Rice recipe.
- Step four: removing the flesh.
Have you ever opened an adult coconut and spent an hour fighting to remove the flesh? Fortunately, you won’t have this experience with your young coconut. Young coconuts have such a soft flesh that you can use a spoon to remove it! A grapefruit spoon works slightly better than a normal spoon. Simply slide the spoon between the shell and the meat and move along the curve of the shell until the meat comes loose. Place the removed meat in your extra bowl. Repeat this act until the shell is completely de-fleshed.
Utilitarian Instructions
- Step one: limited de-husking.
Since you don’t need to preserve the shell in a way as to be visually appealing, you will find this method quicker, easier, and safer than the method used in the decorative instructions. First, you will use your knife to cut away a piece of the husk, but with two distinct differences. First, cut away from the bottom (flat end) of the coconut. Second, you can stop cutting as soon as your reach a tender spot. In adult coconuts, these are the indentations that make the coconut resemble a bowling ball. With young coconuts, your knife will slip right into the tender spot, often before you can even see that the spot is there. As soon as you find the spot, twist your knife in a circle to open it up (be careful not to tip the coconut while turning your knife).
- Step two: removing the coconut water.
Once the hole is large enough for the coconut water to pass through it, place your strainer above your bowl and empty the water into it. You may have to shake or rock the coconut to get all the water to empty.
- Step three: opening the coconut.
This process is more entertaining and less dangerous than cutting open a decorative coconut. Instead of worrying about cutting your fingers, you only need to be careful not to smash them. Take your young coconut, towel, and hammer to your driveway or a concrete surface. Wrap the towel around the coconut. Sometimes simply throwing the swaddled coconut onto the ground is enough to crack it open. If not, give it a good whack with the hammer. Then pick up the bundle and bring it back inside.
- Step four: removing the flesh.
De-fleshing a young coconut smashed open is easier than with one opened decoratively, and far, far easier than de-fleshing an adult coconut. You can use your fingers to snap the shell into multiple pieces to get a good angle on the meat. Then simply take your grapefruit spoon (if you have none, the flesh is soft enough that a normal spoon is acceptable) and slide it between the shell and the meat. Slide and scoop with the spoon until all the flesh is removed.
Congratulations! You have young coconut meat and coconut water ready for use. You may have noticed that the meat is slimy and squishy, similar in texture to cooked egg whites. Some people do not like this as a snack, the way you would eat adult coconut meat, but it is fantastic in recipes, desserts in particular. If you make your own ice cream, blending the young coconut meat and water makes a great, rich milk to use in your ice cream. Smoothies, yogurts, and custards are just a few examples of the rich, delicious, and healthy options you have to make with your young coconut.
Last updated: 21 Feb. 2012
