Desiccated coconut (koko sek) is a versatile ingredient in a wide variety of recipes, from sweet treats to savoury dishes. In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at what koko sek is, how it’s produced, and how to use it in your cooking.
About Desiccated Coconut (Koko Sek)
There are few fruits that are more deeply entrenched in Mauritian cuisine than coconut. Originally from southeast Asia, coconut (koko) is the fruit of the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera). It is smooth and light green or orange in colour when unripe.
As coconut ripens, it turns brown and is covered with a thick layer of brown ligneous fibres surrounding the nut when ripe.
Today, coconut is enjoyed around the world in a wide variety of forms, from coconut water to coconut milk, and of course, desiccated coconut.
How To Make Koko Sek
To make desiccated coconut, you have to first remove fresh coconut flesh from the shell and wash it to remove any impurities. Then, you grate the white flesh and dry it in a hot air oven until all the moisture has been removed. The dried coconut is then shredded into small pieces and packaged for sale.
This shredded and dried coconut flesh is known as koko sek rape in Mauritian Kreol.
Cooking With Desiccated Coconut
Desiccated coconut is a versatile ingredient that can be used in a wide variety of recipes. It adds a rich, nutty flavour and a satisfying texture to both sweet and savoury dishes. Here are some tips for cooking with desiccated coconut:
- Add it to the filling in recipes like Makacha Koko and Vietnamese Glutinous Rice Balls.
- Use it as a topping for puddings such as Poudinn May and Poudinn Maniok.
- Sprinkle it on top of French-style pastries (Gato Franse) like Puits d’Amour.
Favourite Recipes
Here are some of our favourite recipes using desiccated coconut (koko sek). You can also find our complete recipe archive for this ingredient here.
Makacha Koko
Vietnamese Glutinous Rice Balls (Chè trôi nước)
Poudinn Maniok
