How to make desiccated coconut from scratch??

 I always love exploring most of my recipes from scratch atleast once a while just to know the effort that goes in the making and to compare the taste rendered when you try from scratch and otherwise. If the making needs too much of an effort or if the canned or processed product is more of additives and preservatives, I switch to try on from scratch unless it's an urgent need and there is no much time to try out my way from scratch. 

My mom is the soul backbone who has been doing all from scratch and I have been greatly influenced by her way of upbringing me and so I hardly depend on processed foods for such basic recipes, I proudly admit that. The foods that we use on a daily basis like making ghee from the milk we buy, making rice flour / puttu podi in a mixer, making all the basic spice powders, making thick yogurt at home, making  paneer at home , making garam masala and so on. However, I don't always try everything from scratch and modify as per time and need, but mostly try whenever possible to a large extent. Today's recipe is another basic recipe to make dessicated coconut from copra(dry coconut) and am so very happy with the outcome. We have coconut in abundance at home, and so this was economical as well. I wouldn't say the desiccated coconut bought from store has additive or doesn't taste the same as it tasted the same, but then when you have a dry coconut(copra), you can always give this a try. Hardly takes any time and effort and is a keeper, bookmark and give it a try.

Please check out more basic recipes here.

Preparation time ~ 15 minutes

Cooking time ~ 5 minutes

Author ~ Julie

Yields ~1 cup dry desiccated coconut lightly packed

Ingredients

copra(dry coconut) 1

Method

• Peel the outer brown portion of the coconut and the using a grater, grate the coconut(use the grater holes whichever you feel comfortable, I have used the smallest holes).

• Add the desiccated coconut to a heavy bottomed pan on low flame. Dry roast the coconut till moisture dries up like say 5-6 minutes on low flame. Make sure the flame is on low flame, else the coconut may turn brown. Roasting on low flame ensures that the white colour is retained. 
• Cool completely and store in airtight containers at room temperature.

NOTES

* You can try doing the same thing with fresh coconut as well, but in that case leave the coconut in the fridge for 3-4 hours so that the moisture dries up. It may also take a little longer than the copra(dry coconut) to roast the dessicated coconut.

* You can make a sugar syrup with one string consistency and add the dessicated coconut to this syrup, leave to cool completely. This will give the sweetened version of coconut.