Good morning class. Please pull out your notebooks and a pen and let the raw fun begin! Today we are talking about an ingredient that is widely used among the raw world: young coconuts.
Everything about this nutritionally dense food screams to be consumed. From its water (which in my opinion, no store bought coconut water holds a candle to the real thing, straight from the coconut itself), to its meat, to its oil/butter, the coconut provides high-density goodness for your body and heart. Nutrition aside, the meat of a young coconut also provides a creamy richness to raw desserts: the secret ingredient to this raw ice cream recipe (made into banana splits).
I made the mistake of not understanding how difficult it would really be to open up this little stinker of a coconut. I basically had to beat the snot out of it with a knife and pray to the raw food gods that I wouldn’t slice off a body part. I strongly suggest using an axe or shotgun, but if you lack such weapons, go ahead and use a large, sharp kitchen knife. PLEASE BE CAREFUL! Try to hack the same spot on the top on all four sides (like you are making a square shape) and eventually you will be able to rip off the top and access the meat and water. Careful. The water *will* splash too.
Using your knife, cut out the meat from the inside. Get your broom and mop ready. Trust me. But in all honesty, the coconut water alone is worth it
You will get anywhere from 1/2 – 1 cup of coconut meat from 1 young coconut
