matured coconut

This is a companion post to the young coconut that I wrote a while back. Growing up in Hong Kong one often saw street vendor that sell coconut meat and coconut water in the summer. For 50 cents you get a piece of freshly cut piece of coconut flesh from a mature coconut. You can also buy a glass of coconut water.
matured coconut (left) and young coconut (right)

I recently bought a mature coconut for the first time. Unlike young coconut a mature coconut is much more difficult to tackle.

Like a young coconut matured coconut has coconut water inside. I know the shell is much harder so instead of using an oyster knife to poke a hole I resorted to a drill. It turned out it is not the best idea as you risk a hole in your palm if you are not careful. Even with a metal drill bit it take a while to get through the rock hard shell. I would later realize that on the "bottom" end of the coconut there are 3 circular spots that are very easy to poke though - mother of nature loves us and wants us to be healthy and happy.

the liquid inside is equally refreshing as in the young coconut - it is just a bit less sweet

young coconut is sweeter

It is very interesting that the subtle change in the taste of the coconut water as the fruit matures. I found a spectrum of difference from a samples of 10 young coconuts and this matured one.

Unlike the young coconut you can open the soft shell with a whack of a sharp knife with some mass. You need to crack the stone-hard shell with a small hammer. It is easiest to place the coconut on a hard surface like a concrete floor.
the shell is cracked open with a small hammer

now how to extract the flesh? - it clings tenaciously to the shell and pulling a small piece is hard enough

it turns out patience pay - divide and conquer is key

The common mistake in extracting the meat from a mature coconut is attempt to remove too big a piece. There are special tools that are develop to make the job easier. For the casual folks who don't eat enough coconuts to justify the investment the simplest way is to use a pairing knife and a dull and strong service knife.

I use the pairing knife to score a thin pie (as in above photo). I then use the service knife to ply the meat away from the shell. Starting next to the pie shape one continues to carve and ply out additional small wedges. Some coconut would be easier and some harder so you just adjust the size of the pie accordingly. It takes no time to get the hangs of it and it becomes a breeze.

What do you do with the meat? I just eat them as snacks. There are many use of the flesh. You can extract the milk for cooking. Shave them and use for cooking or make dessert. But for me I only want to eat the meat as snacks. For cooking I would use canned coconut milk/cream.

The meat of the matured coconut is thicker so there are more in a coconut than the young one. It is much harder so great exercise for your teeth and jaw. It tastes nuttier and is creamer due to more coconut fat.

After I remove all the meat I noticed on the "bottom" side of the shell there are 3 small circles that the shell is thinner. One can easily poke a hole in them to get to the coconut water instead of the dangerous act of using a drill.

there are always 3 small circles on the "bottom" side of the shell

btw - i found this beautiful japanese oyster knife in a nearby korean supermarket and it is truly made in japan

The shells of the coconut has many use in Asian countries. I save them for use as containers, or use as a soap dish.
use as a soap dish - a drain hole on the bottom

You can also use half to make a small plant hanger.
i used these two to collect and keep garlic seeds

drying the young coconut shells in the sun - note the varied degree of dryness; the one in the darker brown are fully dried