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    Home » Easy Vegan Recipes » Ideas & Suggestions

    How to Open a Fresh Coconut with a Power Drill and Hammer

    3 November, 2010 by Kip 13 Comments

    Because I’ll be using a lot of coconut milk and/or cream for South-East Asian fusion month, it’s important to begin with a simple tutorial for extracting your own coconut milk. Sure, you can use a can if need be, but I promise this will yield better results.

    More reminiscent of dairy milk than what you’ll find in a can, fresh coconut milk is both cheap and easy to make, with the added bonus that you’ll also have a pile of fresh coconut meat with which to play.

    If you want anything resembling authentic, ditch the tinned coconut milks and go find yourself a mature coconut and a toolbox. Here’s what you’ll need:

    • 1 mature coconut
    • A power drill or a hammer and nail
    • Hammer
    • Tea towel

    1. DRILL, BABY, DRILL!

    drilling a coconut

    On the coconut, at the top, are 3 marks that make the fruit resemble a bowling ball. The one that’s slightly offset from the other two tends to be the softest, so this is the one you’re going to drill into.

    If you’re using a drill, dig in (and if you have one, it’s definitely the easier option). Otherwise use a good sized nail and hammer it in. Just don’t follow the method in the picture above because, well, it’s just a picture. Put the coconut between your knees or have someone else hold it so it’s stable.

    Once you’ve got a good sized hole you have two options: either shake the coconut water out into a bowl or put a second hole in the coconut to make the juice flow out easier. I always opt for the former.

    2. GET OUT YOUR FRUSTRATIONS

    Once all the coconut water is out, loosely wrap the coconut in a tea towel and place on the floor (the more solid the surface, the better). Centre the hammer above the shell and bring it down hard. You’ll hear the shell crack, but you may have to hit it a few times for it to break open properly. Don’t worry if it shatters a little bit (but rinse the meat lightly to avoid getting any of the hard outer shell in the meat- it’ll do your teeth in later if you eat it).

    fresh coconut

    3. GRATE OR BLEND THE FRESH COCONUT

    Since you’re harvesting the coconut meat to make coconut milk, it needs to be grated. You can either use a coconut grater to get it out of the shell, or just bash it to smaller bits with the hammer so the meat falls out. The latter option is both easier and quicker, in my opinion, and also more fun because you get to keep breaking stuff.

    Pull the meat away from the shell and grate it. To make thick coconut milk, add 1 cup of warm water to a large bowl with all of the grated meat, kneading the mixture for a few minutes. For coconut cream, halve the amount of water. Likewise, for a thinner milk add an extra half cup. If you have a high powered blender (I made this coconut milk with my Vitamix) then chuck the chunks of coconut and the water in (no need to grate first). You could use a food processor as well, I’d imagine.

    grating coconut
    Blended grated coconut

    4. EXTRACT THE MILK

    The water will turn milky white as you knead the coconut. Now find yourself a piece of thin muslin (or a nut bag) and strain the coconut meat, wringing out as much of the liquid as possible.

    And voilà! Coconut milk, plus a bunch of fresh grated coconut for later use.

    Fresh Coconut Milk
    Spent coconut

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    Reader Interactions

    I reserve the right to improve any malicious and trollish comments left below. Please do not comment about nonvegan products or activities.

    Comments

    1. Lazy Smurf

      November 03, 2010 at 5:59 pm

      great idea using a drill! I always use a cleaver, I bought one just for coconuts!

      Reply
    2. Mo

      November 03, 2010 at 10:24 pm

      I feel like I've learned so much just now!

      Reply
    3. Pandawithcookie

      November 03, 2010 at 11:10 pm

      Any food post that features a drill is a winner.

      Reply
    4. Dalibor Šver

      November 06, 2010 at 11:41 am

      You can get bottled coconut water if you don't have raw coconuts.

      Reply
    5. Sarah

      November 13, 2010 at 3:11 pm

      yes! I want to do this! And since it involves power tools, I'll be able to recruit my husband LOL

      Reply
    6. Lanasube

      November 25, 2010 at 1:50 am

      Do you want to know a pretty fun method to crack the coconut? Burn it! Just put it directly on the fire in one of your stove burn and then it will crack (also fun, and suitable for wimpy girls like me)

      Reply
      • Kip

        November 25, 2010 at 8:09 am

        That's an awesome idea! When I move into a house that has a gas hob (okay, one day... a girl can dream) I will definitely give this a go!

        Reply
    7. PMP Online

      January 22, 2011 at 1:01 pm

      You may have to wait a little longer for the 48th annual Coconut Grove Arts Festival (opening Feb. 19), but the party is already starting ...

      Reply
    8. pills to help get pregnant

      February 24, 2011 at 4:52 am

      Near the corner of Copper Hill Drive and Seco Canyon in Saugus is an oasis of foodie heaven. Thelma's Morning Café has evolved into just "Thelma's" among the locals that frequent the small bistro located in the tiny strip center behind the CVS Pharmacy ...

      Reply
    9. Alexh

      January 30, 2012 at 2:03 am

      You can also put it in the oven for 30 mins and it will crack! I just pierce the softest hole by bashing it with scissors, then pushing them in 🙂

      Reply
      • Kip

        February 06, 2012 at 4:00 am

        Thanks for the tip!

        Reply
    10. I reserve the right to improve malicious and trollish comments.

    Trackbacks

    1. Gourmet Vegetarian Coconut and Mushroom Spread | Recipe by The Messy Vegetarian Cook says:
      10 November, 2010 at 8:32 pm

      [...] 150ml (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) coconut cream [...]

      Reply
    2. Easy Dairy Free Vegan Coconut Cookies | Recipe by The Messy Vegetarian Cook says:
      28 November, 2010 at 5:04 pm

      [...] I’ve become completely smitten with coconut and making my own coconut milk, but there’s just so much leftover coconut meat. Being a) a hoarder and b) afraid of waste [...]

      Reply

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    Name's Kip. Some things about me: vegan, Thai food enthusiast, comfortably chaotic and disorganised, information lover, Londoner, cookbook collector, clumsy AF, rarely takes a serious photo, has never been on a diet. This is not a wellness blog.

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