Coconut chutney

Selkie

With my mind full of ideas of making dosas and other southern Indian delights I would like to try my hand at making coconut chutney, but all the recipes that I've seen for it call for a whole coconut. I'm in the UK and we do get coconuts over here but I don't know how fresh they are and if they would give the same results as someone making coconut chutney in India and using a lovely fresh coconut.

How can I get hold of a coconut that's good enough to use for yummy coconut chutney? Are the coconuts in the UK miles different than coconuts available in India? I think they are probably very variable in their quality here, including some that are ancient and rancid.

By the way, I live in Yorkshire, and have access to lots of Asian grocers.

RWeHavingFunYet

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Coconuts, in general, have a longer shelf-life of several weeks to months. When you buy, make sure there is water inside the nut. Shake the nut and hold it to your ear. If the water is missing, there is a good chance, it has some leakage and might have gone rancid. . . . Here's one video recipe.

Selkie

Ah thanks, that sounds relatively simple

Selkie

That's a great video as well!

mazha

Buying coconuts is not simple, I've bought home lots of bad ones. The expert advice is to pick a small coconut, with brown husk (not white, not black), with less water. Usually this will give you a ripe coconut. If it has lots of water, then it is most probably a tender coconut, which has a higher chance of being bad inside.

Getting a good coconut is only half the trouble, you have to scrape it, which is not easy without the Indian scrapers. Finally, if you are going to use a blender to make the chutney, make sure the grated coconut is at room temperature. If it is blended while cold, the oil will split away from the coconut and mess up the chutney.

Selkie

That is some excellent advice there, thanks....and it does rather confirm my suspicions that buying a good coconut over here (UK) is not easy!

namaste_cat

Selkie - I have trouble finding good quality coconut here for making chutney. And when I do find them, they are just too much work, in my opinion.

So I buy shredded unsulphured raw coconut. It tastes quite good, and is super easy to make chutney using it. I've tried this recipe listed here (scroll about 1/2 way down to read it) from Yamuna Devi's cook book:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/361014
Depending on my mood, sometimes I rehydrate first by soaking in room temperature water, then mix with chillies etc. to make chutney. But I've also tried it just like in the recipe where yogurt etc. softens the coconut just fine.

Do share if you find a better recipe, and happy chutneying

Selkie

Thanks, that's a good option by the sound of it, I shall certainly keep that in mind.

I have to say - I had the most fabulous dosa and coconut chutney last night at a little chaat house in Bradford...

urwepocf

Thank you very much!