The Chronicles of the Tender Coconut

chillibreeze writer — Meher Mirza

Many years ago, a little girl would hurry home from school, drenched in the heat of the summer sun. The little girl lived in a little house with a balcony, which overlooked a tiny garden with many trees in it – a smelly jackfruit tree, a banyan tree, and even a lonely little jacaranda, its blossoms perfuming the house at dusk. But most important of all, there was also a tall coconut tree, its palms yearning upwards to the sun.

From the kitchen, she would hear the bustle of her mother pottering about, preparing a spicy-hot crab curry for lunch. Delicious though the curry was, the little girl looked forward to the tender coconut that reposed splendidly beside it, the shell swimming with fresh, cool water within, the creamy flesh, soft, and sweet. Thirstily she would sip it. Around her, the chatter of relatives and the cries of vendors on the ember-hot street. This was summer’s ultimate treat.

That little girl grew up, got married, and moved out of her little house into a brand new apartment. She had a large car and all other trappings of a ‘modern’ life. All the glitzy shopping malls and cafes of the city were at her disposal. But on a scorching May morning, her table laden with smoked salmon and brie, the thing she desired most was a long, soothing glass of coconut water.

Ayurveda expounds the benefits of the tender coconut, telling us that not only does its sweet quality give it a life-restoring capacity, but that the Vedic tradition considers it a divine plant. The tender coconut is chockfull of vitamins and minerals, rich in antioxidants, and good at reducing ‘heat’ in the body. A good slurp of nariyal pani delights by cooling the body, is an antiseptic, detoxifier, and digestive. Plus, lots of electrolytes make it a natural isotonic, preventing dehydration and exhaustion by replenishing the natural salts lost by the body.

The little girl of course was me. And as soon as I could hold a cocktail glass in my hand, I became obsessed with imbuing all drinks with the healthful, delicious essence of nariyal pani. It was only by tireless consumption that I have narrowed down these coconut drinks.

Nut-thing Else Matters
Ay Caramba! Fling coconut milk into any drink and watch taste levels spiral upwards instantly. C is for Coconut Cocktails

Acapulco Gold

2 ounce freshly pressed pineapple juice
1 ounce freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
1 ounce coconut milk
1 ounce fresh cream
Shake all of the ingredients together with ice and then strain into a cocktail glass to serve.

Sol Kadi

Ingredients:
5-6 dried kokum
1 cup fresh scraped coconut or 1 can of coconut milk
2 cloves garlic
Pinch of asafoetida
3-4 green chillies cut into pieces
2 tbsp coriander chopped
1/2 tsp of sugar
Salt to taste

Place kokum in a bowl. Pour 1/2 cup of warm water on the kokum. Leave to steep for 30 minutes. Add chillies, sugar, and salt to the kokum-water and leave to steep for another thirty minutes. Grind scraped coconut and garlic. Add the coconut garlic mixture and mix well. Strain the mixture through a coarse sieve into a fresh container. Garnish with coriander. Serve chilled in small bowls or glasses.

Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in April, 2010. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

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—About our writer:

Meher Mirza says "As a former magazine editor, I've done plenty of writing and editing in the fields of travel and culture but with two MAs under my belt (from London university and Mumbai university), I am equally passionate about academia and research. I've worked for a range of publications, right from India's leading hotel and inflight magazines (Incredible India, Jetwings, Namaskaar, Oberoi magazine) to Dubai's print giant, Khaleej Times to the country's most trusted technology guide, IC Chip".

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