Desiccated Coconut

Desiccated coconut is fresh coconut flesh grated and dried until it keeps for months. The cut changes the result: fine desiccated coconut blends smoothly into batters, sweets and chutneys, while medium has more bite for barfi, ladoo and coatings. Coconut chips and slices are larger pieces for roasting and garnish, and whole dried coconut, called copra, kopra or khopra, is the kernel dried in one piece. It all belongs to the baking, sugar and desserts department.

Coconut barfi and coconut ladoo for Diwali need only desiccated coconut, sugar or condensed milk, and cardamom. Sri Lankan pol toffee, kokis coatings, love cake and Tamil thengai burfi use it too, as do British macaroons, Bakewell tart and lamingtons. It can also stand in for fresh coconut in pol sambol, thengai chutney, a Kerala thoran and a coconut-based curry paste. Dried coconut halves are grated or roasted for Maharashtrian and Goan masalas, and fine desiccated makes a good base for dessert toppings.

To bring desiccated coconut close to fresh for sambol or chutney, soak it in warm water or milk for ten minutes and squeeze out the excess. Toast it in a dry pan, stirring all the time, until it smells nutty and just turns golden, which takes a couple of minutes at most.

Once opened, keep desiccated coconut in an airtight jar in a cool cupboard or the fridge, since its natural oil turns rancid in warmth. Brands shoppers look for include Fudco and Natco.