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[MUSIC PLAYING]
Hi, I'm Russell James and this is The Raw Chef TV.
Today I'm going to be showing you have to open a young Thai
coconut, and how to use the meat and the water.
Young Thai coconuts are just one of my favorite ingredients
to work with.
I was spoiled a little bit from my first young coconut
experience.
It was on the beach in Thailand.
And I hope this technique and recipe will at least give you
a taste of that paradise.
So I'd like to show you, when you get your hands on this
amazing ingredient, how to open them, how to extract the
beautiful, fresh hydrating water, and how to get out this
wonderful coconut meat.
Then I'd like to show you a quick and simple, decadent
smoothie recipe.
Which will be an easy way for you to use your bounty, and
something you can do immediately.
In the next episode of the Raw Chef TV, we're going to be
taking it a step further.
And I'll be showing you how to make this wonderful, smooth
coconut yoghurt with these ingredients.
So first take the coconut, unwrap the
plastic if there is any.
We're going to need a solid surface for this.
So make sure your chopping board is secure, and perhaps
wetting a cloth and placing in between the board and your
work surface.
We're going to be using a cleaver to cut a hole in the
top of the coconut.
Which poses a significant danger to your hands.
And when I'm teaching this live to students, I always get
them to not hold the coconut and keep the other hand out of
the way for safety.
But you'll know your own comfort level with holding the
coconut or not.
And if you're just starting or in any doubt at all just let
the coconut sit on the board without using your hand and
perhaps securing it with a tea towel.
Next, take the cleaver-- and it doesn't have to be an
expensive one-- and use the heel of the blade to cut down
into the coconut four times to make a square.
Now there's a tendency here to really try to
hit the coconut hard.
But it really comes down to intention.
You have to think a little bit like Bruce Lee and intend to
strike all the way through the coconut.
Remember, intention, not brute force.
If this is your first attempt, it will take several goes.
But you will get better.
I promise.
Once you're able to pry the lid off, drain the water into
a bowl with a sieve and set aside.
Now of course in Thailand they use a machete to take off the
top of the chilled coconut, pop a straw right in the top
of it, which is obviously the most amazing
thing on a hot day.
Now for the part that does take a
little bit more strength.
Place your empty coconut on the board.
And with a bit more force, but still remembering intention,
cut down into it.
If you've made a good deep cut, wherever the cleaver
stays in the coconut, continue to hit down a few times, until
the point you can actually break the whole thing into two
with your hands.
A little note here on the quality of coconut.
If you find the meat isn't white but has kind of a purple
or brown tinge to it, don't use it.
Unfortunately, even with the best coconuts, every now and
then you'll get a bad one.
It's very difficult to tell from the outside of the
coconut whether it's good or not.
Now we're ready to take a sandwich spreader or a spoon
like I am with the back facing upwards and
scrape out the meat.
Some coconuts have thicker meat than others.
But generally you'll be able to take out two good size
pieces intact.
You can now discard the outer husk.
And take this beautiful white coconut meat with a spoon and
start to gently scrape the remaining pieces of husk away.
The smaller the edge of the spoon, the easier it is going
to be to do this.
We're almost done.
The final stage is to rinse the coconut meat in water.
This takes a few minutes, but it's an enjoyable process.
And we end up with this fresh, amazing coconut water and
meat, ready to use and ready to hydrate and nourish us.
But for a smoothie recipe you can use right now, combine the
water and the meat in a blender.
Add some mango or banana, a little avocado, and perhaps
some pineapple and a pinch of Himalayan salt.
I also love to add this amazing Madagascan organic
vanilla powder from Steenbergs in the UK.
There we are.
Delicious and decadent fresh coconut smoothie made with the
best and freshest ingredients possible.
I hope you've enjoyed me sharing my love of this
incredible ingredient with you, and you take some time
for yourself to experience it.