“Caramel Coconut”

This is a popular Congolese sweet treat that is locally made. The first step is to collect coconuts. I learned something new about coconuts and that is the fact that they do not grow on trees in nice hard round balls that I always envisioned. At least not here. As is typical of Congolese fruit and food, getting to the good stuff takes a lot of work. After getting the coconuts down out of the tree, you hack away at the outer layer of tough fibers to reveal the even harder round shell underneath.

This is what we think of when we think “coconut.”

After that you can smash it open on a rock and let the liquid drain out or drink it. Most people drain it and even though sipping juice from a coconut sounds romantic it actually doesn’t taste that good. Once it’s been cracked, it takes a lot of effort to separate the white nutty part from the hard shell. Once that’s separated, you still have to scrape off a thin layer of tough skin to get just plain white stuff. Some people eat with the skin on but I prefer not to. I’ve found that this layer comes off easier if it’s chilled in the fridge first. (I must add here that a fresh young coconut is actually very delicious just plain raw.)

Next, grate the coconut or chop finely and then move it to a frying pan. Add several tablespoons of brown sugar and heat on very low heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently to keep it from burning or sticking to the pan.

The bright white coconut should be a nice golden brown color when it’s done. Let it cool and then use it for whatever you want: add to granola, chewy balls, yogurt, oatmeal, top a cake with it or eat it plain. People here often form it into balls while still hot and sell it that way as a quick treat. I made this particular batch for Orcxance’s birthday which was this week.