The coconut peices can be used in several ways:
Cut them into small peices and throw them in a blender. Add a cup of water and grind them into a thick pulp. Add a little bit more water and continue to blend. Strain in a fine mesh colander and you have homemade coconut milk. The taste of this milk is very different than the cans available in the super markets.
You can freeze this milk and add it to curries or use it to make pina coladas
You can also make a delectable coconut chutney
Again cut up the coconut and add it to a blender, Add a bunch of cilantro (washed and roughly chopped), several cloves of garlic, a green chili, salt, a few pinches of ground cumin and juice of a lime. Add a tiny bit of water (as much as needed) to grind this into a thick paste.
Store in the fridge and use it as a dipping sauce or as a topper for pan fried or grilled fish or chicken.
Finally I make a coconut dessert called Burfi which is out of this world.
3 cups of coconut grated and lightly toasted
1 carton of ricotta cheese - 8 oz
2 cups of milk powder
1 tsp of cardamom powder
sugar to taste
2 sticks of butter
Handful of almonds sliced
In a pan add the butter and melt. Next add the ricotta cheese and cook it until the water evaporates. Add the milk powder and coconut along with sugar and cardamom. Cook until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and the butter starts to seperate out of the mass.
Pour it into a pyrex pan (small square one) and evenly spread it out (just like you would a brownie mixture). Sprinkle the surface with the sliced almonds and press them down a bit.
Let it cool completely for several hours. Cut into squares and enjoy. We eat it as is but you can pair it with icecream or whipped cream or some fruit and it would be delicious.
It's texture is just like a super rich brownie only thing is that there is no chocolate in it.
