How To Make Kerisik (Toasted Coconut Paste) using dessicated or dried shredded coconut and food processor or upside-down cup blender.
In Malaysia, Kerisik (Toasted Coconut Paste) is usually made with freshly grated coconut but that is not something easily available here. The next best thing here in the US is to use frozen grated coconut available at any Indian grocery store if you happen to live close to one. I did that some years back and you can watch the video and read my post here. Today’s tutorial is mainly to show you an alternative method of making this essential paste used in Beef Rendang and Chicken Rendang.
Using Dessicated or Dried Shredded Coconut
While fresh or frozen grated coconut is hard to find in my neck of the woods, dessicated or dried shredded coconut is available at our local health food store. As such, I had to figure out a way to use this dried form of coconut instead. The first step is to rehydrate or reconstitute the dried coconut to its original state. This can be easily achieved by mixing it with some water and allowing it to sit for an hour.
Toasting the Reconstituted Coconut
The next step is to toast or dry fry the reconstituted coconut on the stove over low heat. Keep stirring the coconut until its general distribution is golden brown. This usually takes about 10 minutes.
How To Make Kerisik by Blending the Toasted Coconut Into A Paste
Finally, I used a food processor and a blender to turn the toasted coconut into a paste. I started with the food processor but the result was not as satisfactory as I had hoped for. It also took a while because I had to repeatedly scrape down the sides of the food processor bowl. However, if you only have a food processor, use it. It just takes a longer time.
As such, I decided to switch to my powerful upside-down cup blender. It was a good decision because the blender did the job in just a few minutes and I was satisfied with the result.
Similar Products Used in How To Make Kerisik Post
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Ninja BL770 Kitchen Blender System
KitchenAid 9-Cup Food Processor with Exact Slice System – Contour Silver
How To Make Kerisik (Toasted Coconut Paste)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup dessicated coconut (dried shredded coconut) (90g)
- 1½ to 2 cups water (360ml to 480ml)
Instructions
- Place dessicated coconut into a bowl. Add enough water to moisten the dessicated coconut. Stir to mix and allow it to reconstitute for 1 hour.
- Toast (without oil) reconstituted coconut in a fry pan, stirring constantly over low heat until the general distribution of the coconut is golden brown. This should take about 10 minutes.
- Allow it to cool just slightly before transferring to a blender cup. Screw on the cap with blade and attach the blender cup upside down onto the motor base.
- Pulse or blend until toasted coconut turns moist and color deepens. After this it will soon turn into butter. Stop at any time at desired texture and consistency. This should take anywhere between 3 to 5 minutes depending on the power of your blender.
- Remove and use in rendangs (dry caramelized curries) and kerabus (salads). Kerisik may be refrigerated up to 2 weeks or frozen for a couple of months.
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