How to Make Desiccated Coconut

Desiccated Coconut Source : Ramesia.com

About Desiccated Coconut

Desiccated coconut is often used as a cake ingredient to add flavor and texture. Some cakes that often use dried coconut are cupcakes, pastries, cakes and macaroons.

If you only use coconut without baking, the cake will be chewy, while if roasted, it will feel crispy when eaten. In addition, roasted coconuts have a rich, aromatic flavor first.

Desiccated coconut is a material with low water content (maximum 3%) so it can be stored for a long time. The practical benefits of desiccated coconut can be added to water, then pressed to get coconut milk that is used for cooking.

Besides, this dried grated coconut is grinded until smooth into coconut flour. How to make desiccated coconut is not too complicated, and can be done easily in your kitchen.

Coconut flour is used as a material for making bread and cakes. Before use, dried grated coconut is moistened with water, then squeezed to remove the coconut milk.

Although shredded coconut has not been widely circulated in the market, it is estimated that in the future, especially in urban areas, shredded coconut is increasingly in demand by people to make some food because it is more practical than fresh coconut which must be shredded first.

Common Ways to Make Dry Grated Coconut

Ingredients: Coconut

Equipment:
Scrapper, To separate the coconut meat with shell
knife, to separate the outer layer of brown coconut meat
Grated coconut machine, to grate
Dryer, to remove the water content in grated coconut

Making process

1. Stripping Shell, try not to break the flesh of nut. To facilitate stripping, coconuts can be preheated using hot steam for 30-40 minutes.
2. Stripping the skin of the flesh of the fruit until the outside of the flesh becomes pure white without leaving the skin of the flesh.
The pulp is cut, then washed clean and after that the flesh is drained.
Pieces of fruit flesh are dipped in hot water (80 ~ 100C) for 5-8 minutes to kill microbes, kill the enzymes that cause the grated coconut to turn brown and soften the fruit flesh tissue.
3. Grated flesh using a machine to get grated like a fine ribbon, or machine to get grated granules.
4. Grated coconut is dried to reduce the water content to a maximum of 3%. one way is to roast, there are two ways, namely,

Roasted using a stove

Put some grated coconut in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat while continuing to stir until the coconut is golden brown. If the coconut you use tends to be sweet, it will turn brownish faster so it only takes less time.

Using the oven

Preheat the oven to 160 C. Spread the grated coconut on a baking sheet with a thin layer then bake it in the oven. Grated coconut will brown very quickly, only taking about 5-10 minutes. After a few minutes, stir the coconut so that the colours are evenly obtained. Remember, sweet grated coconut only takes a short time because the sugar content accelerates the roasting process.
5. Dried shredded coconut must be airtight and not contain moisture. Packaging that can be used is polyethylene plastic bags, aluminium-coated plastic bags, semi-rigid plastic boxes, glass bottles, and tin boxes. Highly recommended to be put into the package nitrogen or carbon dioxide gas so that the dried coconut that has been packaged has a longer shelf life.

Tip: If the coconut you use is not sweet and wants to make it a little sweeter, then put half a kilogram of unsweetened grated coconut in a plastic bag or container with a lid and add 2 tablespoons of refined sugar. Rattles of plastic bags and grated coconut will taste sweet.

Well, that’s how to make desiccated coconut, it’s very easy and you can try to make in your kitchen, good luck