African Cooking: Recipes

Introductory Notes - Section 1 of 1 (1 )

How to Buy, Open and, Prepare a Coconut

Before buying a coconut, shake it to make sure it is full of liquid. The more there is, the fresher the coconut. Coconuts without liquid, or those with moldy or wet eyes," are likely to be spoiled. Though the coconuts available in the United States may range from 1 to as many as 3 pounds, the average one weighs about 1 1/2 pounds and will yield from 3 to 4 cups of chopped or grated meat.

TO OPEN THE COCONUT:

Puncture 2 of the 3 smooth, dark eyes of the coconut by hammering the sharp tip of an ice pick or screwdriver through them. Drain and discard all of the coconut water.

Loosen the meat inside the shell by holding the coconut in one hand and tapping around the outside in a dozen or so different places with the blunt edge of a cleaver, a kitchen mallet or even a hammer. When the shell begins to split, give the coconut one or two sharp blows with the implement to break it. The meat should fall away from the shell in large sections. If not, rap the outside of each piece to loosen the meat further and then cut it out with a small knife.

TO GRATE COCONUT:

With a swivel-type peeler or small, sharp knife, pare off the brown outer skin of the coconut meat. Then grate the meat, piece by piece, with a hand grater.

TO MAKE COCONUT MILK:

Pare off the brown skin and chop or break the meat of the coconut into small chunks. For each cup of milk needed, drop one cup of chopped meat into the jar of an electric blender and add one cup of hot, not boiling, water and blend at high speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the jar with a rubber spatula. Then blend again until the coconut is reduced to fairly smooth pur6e. (To make the coconut milk by hand, grate the peeled coconut, piece by piece, into a bowl. Stir into each cup used an equal amount of hot, not boiling, water.)

Scrape the entire contents of the jar or bowl into a fine sieve lined with a double thickness of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a deep bowl. With a wooden spoon, press down hard on the coconut to extract as much liquid as possible. Bring the ends of the cheesecloth together, to enclose the pulp, and wring the ends vigorously to squeeze out the remaining liquid. Discard the pulp. One cup of coarsely chopped coconut meat combined with one cup of water should produce one cup of coconut milk.

Tightly covered, coconut milk can be safely kept in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days or in the freezer for several months.

How to Prepare and Seal Canning Jars

To ensure consistent results in home canning, use standard canning jars or jelly glasses with matching lids. An airtight seal is imperative. Examine each one carefully and discard those with covers that do not fit securely or those with cracked or chipped edges.

Wash the jars, glasses, lids and rings in hot, soapy water and rinse them with scalding water. Place them in a large, deep pot and pour in enough hot water to cover them completely. Bring to a boil over high heat. Then turn off the heat and let the pan stand while you finish cooking the food that you plan to can. The jars or glasses must be hot when the food is placed in them.

In preparation for sealing glasses (not jars), grate a 4-ounce bar of paraffin into the top of a double boiler (preferably one with a pouring spout), and melt ii over hot water. Do not let the paraffin get so hot that it begins to smoke ; it will catch fire easily.

When the food is ready for canning, remove the jars or glasses from the pot with tongs and stand them upright on a level surface. Leave the lids and rings in the pot until you are ready to use them. Fill and seal the jars one at a time, filling each jar to within 1/8 inch of the top and each glass to within 1/2 inch of the top. Each jar should be sealed quickly and tightly with its ring and lid.

The jelly glasses should also be sealed at once. Pour a single thin layer of hot paraffin, over the surface of the jelly, making sure covers the jelly completely and touches all sides of the glass. If air bubbles appear on the paraffin, prick them immediately with a fork or the tip of a knife. Let the glasses rest until the paraffin cools and hardens; then cover them with metal lids.

NOTE: If there is not enough food to fill the last jar or glass completely, do not seal it. Refrigerate and use it as soon as possible.

How to Handle Hot Chilies

Hot chilies are cousins to the familiar green bell peppers, but they require special handling. Their volatile oils may make your skin tingle and your eyes burn. While working with the chilies, wear rubber gloves if you can and be careful not to touch your face. To prepare chilies, rinse them clean under cold running water. (Hot water may cause fumes to rise from dried chilies, and even these fumes can irritate your nose and eyes.) Cut or break off the stems if you wish to leave the seeds (the hottest parts of chilies) in the pods. If a chili is to be seeded, pull out the stem and the seeds with your fingers. In most cases the ribs inside are thin; but if they seem thick and fleshy you may cut them out with a small, sharp knife. Follow the instructions in the recipes for slicing or chopping chilies. After handling hot chilies it is essential to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.