Coconut flesh is used in a variety of dishes. Fresh coconut is required to make the freshest, tastiest food, according to "Cracking the Coconut: Classic Thai Home Cooking." Removing coconut flesh from its hard outer shell can be challenging, but it can be done.
Step 1
Drill a hole in the coconut and drain out the coconut milk. You may wish to drain the coconut milk into a glass or container for later consumption.
Step 2
Crack the coconut in half with a hammer and chisel. Do this by placing the coconut on a hard surface and using one hand to hold a chisel over the coconut. Tap the chisel with a hammer to crack the coconut.
Step 3
Boil the coconut halves in a pot of water for 5 to 10 minutes. According to "Coconut Cures: Preventing and Treating Common Health Problems with Coconut," this will make the coconut swell.
Step 4
Remove the coconut halves from the boiling water. Rinse the coconut halves in cool water.
Step 5
Allow the coconut halves to rest untouched for 5 to 10 minutes. This will allow them to cool. As the coconut cools, the flesh will shrink back to size faster than the skin, according to "Whole Foods Diet Cookbook: 200 Recipes for Optimal Health."
Step 6
Slip a spoon between the coconut flesh and skin. Slide the spoon along the coconut skin. The coconut flesh will easily peel away from its skin.
Things You'll Need
- Coconut
- Drill
- Chisel
- Hammer
- Pot
- Water
- Stove
- Spoon
References
- "Coconut Cures: Preventing and Treating Common Health Problems with Coconut"; Bruce Fife and Conrado Dayrit; 2005
- "Cracking the Coconut: Classic Thai Home Cooking"; Su-mei Yu; 2000
- "Whole Foods Diet Cookbook: 200 Recipes for Optimal Health"; Ivy Larson and Andrew Larson; 2009
