Review: Homemade Shredded Coconut [Oatmeal]

Did you know that you can make homemade unsweetened shredded coconut? You can! A few months ago when we had a friend in town, we went to the Mexican market to check out the produce.  The boys saw people walking around drinking coconuts and began to reflect on the spring break trip they took to Cancun their first year of college. They decided to get a coconut each for old times' sake. After they finished the coconut water, they had already cracked open coconuts that I refused to let go to waste. The last coconut we had went into Coconut Pancakes from the Homesick Texan. We've had a few flavors of pancakes this past year and coconut was my favorite by a long shot (C's favorite was Maple Chorizo Crumpets from Little Goat in Chicago; he frequently asks why I've never made them again).

However, our friend follows a strict diet that I can't really explain. All I know is that he doesn't eat grains or milk, so pancakes were out. I was planning a big Ethiopian meal, so I didn't really want to bake. I was determined not to let the boys throw the coconuts in the trash, so how could I preserve them? Shredded coconut! I got out the food processor and put in the shredding disc. I fed chunks of the coconut through the feeding tube and let the food processor do it's magic. To be honest, it wasn't as easy as I'd expected. While a portion of the coconut shredded, a significant amount got stuck in odd places. Anyway, I took about half of what was shredded, spread it out on a baking sheet lined with foil, and baked at 250º until the coconut started to desiccate (and brown a bit). I let it cool completely and stored it in a glass container with a tight seal. I've had it at room temperature for the past two months and it's still good. I froze the rest of the shredded coconut fresh to use for other things (um, pancakes).

I'm starting to worry about my homemade shredded coconut going bad (though with the amount of fat in coconut, it's probably not a huge concern). I stirred some into yogurt with granola, threw a little into a smoothie, used about 1/2 cup in a 9x9 pan of Dark Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Bars from Half Baked Harvest, and added some to coconut oatmeal in an effort to use up coconut milk (see recipe below). I've still got about 1/2 cup that I think I'll save to use as topping to make something extra pretty. Because it's already a little toasted, it's extremely convenient!

Coconut Oatmeal For Two
Based on April Bloomfield's English Porridge
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup coconut milk (or other milk)
1/4 cup steel cut oats
1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
pinch salt
1 tbsp. flaxseed meal
2 tbsp. to  1/4 cup shredded coconut (why not homemade?!)
1 tsp. to 1 tbsp. brown sugar, to taste

Bring water and coconut milk to a boil. Add steel cut oats, old fashioned oats, and a pinch of salt. Simmer until the oatmeal thickens and reaches the consistency you desire. Stir in the flaxseed meal, shredded coconut, and brown sugar. Sprinkle with more shredded coconut and brown sugar before serving.

HOMEMADE SHREDDED COCONUT: The Verdict
If I bought a coconut for something and had leftover coconut, I would definitely do this again. The roasting/desiccating method produces pre-toasted unsweetened shredded coconut. From 2 coconuts, I had at least 3 cups of shredded coconut (and it gains volume when it dries). To buy that at the grocery store would cost an arm and a leg compared to my $3 coconuts! Freezing the coconut may be equally convenient for baking or cooking and is certainly easier to prepare, but wouldn't be best for the beautifully browned toasted bits that make everything prettier. This makes a great DIY day project!