Young Sweet Coconut...It's so good for you

so refreshing...

so beautiful...

so delicious !!!

dice it up and add to fresh coco water or any drink and make a

COCONUT BOBA 

add fresh fruit and drink straight from the NUT !

there's a load of information on the web about the health benefits so i won't bore you with the details but GOOGLE...check HERE for the  benefits of young coconut meat...  and HERE for some some nutritional facts i found at Livestrong.com.

but how do you get into this huge NUT !!!

1st...carve off the top with a big knife.  don't use your best knife.  i bought this cleaver at an Asian market for about 15.00$.  be careful....it's a bit awkward, but it's a lot easier than you think.  usually i put a kitchen towel underneath to cuddle and steady the coconut, but not this time.

carve down to the hard part.  you should end up with the top looking something like this.

"FINDING THE SWEET SPOT"

go around the edge between what you have carved off (the hard shell part) and the white outer skin/hull.  whack a few times around to "score" the hole/lid.  

THE SWEET SPOT...it's odd, but there is one area you will find that the corner of the knife will poke through.  give it a few hard taps to create a crack or hole. pour some coconut water out so you don't spill it all over when prying the top off..

you can now empty all the liquid...OR...just be very careful when prying lid off.

you should get about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of delicious sweet coconut water that is far superior to the store bought you've seen in the carton or can.

there might be little splinters so you should strain the water through cheese cloth.

using the butt of the knife stuck into the sweet spot, pry the lid off.  it should pop open as shown on the photo.  

getting to the meat of the matter...

then with a large spoon, scrape the soft jelly-like coconut meat out and store in your strained coconut water. OR JUST EAT IT !  you should be able to dice the thick part for your drinks.  

the young coconut meat has a very interesting texture unlike any crunchy, crisp coconut you are used to.  it's soft and pliable...almost gelatinous if really young.  you never know what kind you'll get, soft or firm, but it's delicious pure coconut goodness.

fabulous add to food and really fun in drinks.