Atlantica - 01.05.2007, Page 23

According to the Oxford Companion to Food, a typical coconut palm tree,
“the most useful tree in the world,” has a lifespan of 100 years. During that
century, one of those noble, curiously curved plants yields an annual average
of 50 coconuts for 75 of those years. The largest exporters of coconuts are
the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Malaysia and Papua New
Guinea. Be gently forewarned: around 150 people are killed per year by falling
coconuts.
Coconuts offer a myriad of culinary possibilities. The soft white flesh of
the nut’s “kernel” is dried and flaked and used in cooking around the world.
When covered in boiling water and then drained through a cloth, coconut
milk is created, one of the staples for Asian-style curries. Then there’s the less
common but equally useful coconut oil, coconut syrup, and palm sugar. Even
the light “coconut water” – the liquid sloshing around inside the kernel, makes
a refreshing drink.
The Oxford Companion to Food also mentions a “rare and valuable” product
of this popular fruit. The coconut “pearl” is a mysterious item occasionally
found inside the kernel and with a similar composition to the desired oyster
pearls. It’s unclear what causes them, but the general belief is that coconut
pearls result from a failed germination of the coconut. a

on the fly
22 a t l a n t i c a
Indulge .... In CoConut
Kernels of Truth
by Eliza REid
Cooking with CoConut
Now that you know about it, it’s time to eat it.
Coconut Rice Pudding with Exotic Fruits
3 tbsp cashew nuts
1 x 425 g can low fat rice pudding
4 tbsp coconut milk
1 x 425 g can mango slices
1 x 411 g can lychees
1 x 425 g can black cherries
Heat a frying pan and dry roast the cashew nuts until golden brown.
When cool enough to handle, roughly chop the nuts. Empty the rice
pudding into a saucepan, add the coconut milk and heat gently
until thoroughly combined. Drain the mango, lychees and black
cherries, reserving the juice. Pour the juice into a saucepan and heat
gently. Simmer for five minutes until slightly reduced. Spoon the
rice pudding into a bowl alongside the fruit drizzled with the juices.
Scatter a few cashew nuts onto the fruit to serve.
Courtesy: Canned Food UK, cannedfood.co.uk
Prawn and Coconut Curry
225 g (8 oz) white coconut flesh, all brown husk
removed, finely grated
300 ml (1/2 pint) boiling water
50 g (2 oz) ghee or clarified butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 dried chilies
2.5 g (1/2 tsp) black mustard seed
2.5 g (1/2 tsp) ground turmeric
5 ml (1 tsp) ground coriander
15 ml (1 tbsp) ground rice
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt
750 g (1 1/2 lb) peeled prawns
Pour boiling water over the grated coconut and leave to soak for 20
minutes. Place a piece of double muslin in a sieve, over a bowl. Pour
the coconut with all of the water into the cloth. Pull the ends of the
cloth together and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Set the
liquid aside. Melt the ghee in a pan and fry the onion until soft. Add
the garlic, chilies, mustard seed, turmeric and coriander.
Mix the ground rice with the coconut milk and stir it into the onion
mixture. Add the lemon juice and salt and simmer gently for 10
minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the prawns and simmer for a
further five minutes. Serve hot with rice. Serves four.
Courtesy: Colin Masson, Head Chef, Aston Hotel Dumfries, Scotland.