Have you ever noticed the small but oddly specific sign at airline check-in counters that reads “No coconuts in check-in baggage”, listed beside power banks and matchboxes, and wondered what an innocent coconut did to deserve it?
Dried coconut, or copra, is classified as a Class 4 Dangerous Good by the International Air Transport Association. The reason lies in its high oil content and its potential for spontaneous combustion, a technical way of saying it can, under the right conditions, heat up and catch fire without any visible spark. It sounds dramatic, but it is enough for airlines to err on the side of caution.
Airline risk aside, copra is a welcome presence in Indian kitchens. My earliest memories of it are tied to Diwali mixture-making sessions with my grandmother. She would slice the copra into long slivers and deep-fry them with peanuts and curry leaves, then fold the golden pieces into the mixture for crunch in a snack already built on texture.
Of all the delicious elements in the mixture, this was my favourite thing to pick out and eat first, much to the annoyance of my grandmother.
Years later in my own kitchen, I worked out that copra’s fat content means it barely needs help. A few minutes in the oven and it releases its oils and crisps up, no deep-frying needed. But you have to watch it. The line between toasted and burnt is thin, and copra crosses it in seconds.
This quality makes it an unexpectedly good addition to granola, what I consider a videshi (foreign) cousin of mixture. Last week, I made a big batch of coconut-almond granola with some cocoa powder added for a chocolate hit. In this mixture of oats, nuts and seeds, shards of dried coconut behave like built-in flavour bombs. As the tray bakes, they toast in their own oils, turning deeply aromatic and lending a richness that doesn’t rely on excessive sweeteners. Unlike fresh coconut, which would steam and soften, copra holds its structure, offering a contrast in both texture and flavour, that you look forward to bite into as you eat your granola.
Baking larger slices of copra in a low oven (around 150 degrees Celsius) for 20 minutes or so, makes the slices curl up and brown at the edges into crisp chips. Salt them while warm. Somebody on the internet began calling these vegan bacon, which is a bit high on imagination. Combining large dried coconut slices (not shredded) with a savoury, smoky marinade like salt and smoked paprika, and then baking it until crispy, can give you a bacon-like crunch and smokiness.
Travel west and dried coconut takes on heavier work. In Maharashtra, cooks roast khobra on a dry pan until it turns dark brown and smells of caramel, then grind it into kala masala and the red Kolhapuri rassa. Here the coconut is the body of the sauce, the thing that thickens it and lends a dark, meaty colour. A lesser-known technique, rare outside the state, is to hold a piece of khobra in tongs and roast it over an open flame until it chars at the edges. You then chop it and grind it with coriander, cumin, black pepper, clove and cardamom to form the base of misal, the fiery curry of sprouted pulses served with pav.
If you go through dried coconut slowly, keep it in the freezer since it turns rancid at room temperature. Straight from the cold it comes out rock-hard and tough to chop. Microwave it for 30 seconds and it gives under a knife instead of skidding across the board or splintering.
While it may be a potential fire hazard in an airplane, in most Indian kitchens, it is less a danger and more a flavour-packed ingredient, one that adds an unmistakable deliciousness to mixtures and misals.
ALMOND COCONUT GRANOLA
Makes 6 cups
Ingredients
4 cups rolled oats
1 cup almonds, roughly chopped
One-third cup pumpkin seeds
One-third cup sunflower seeds
One half of a dried coconut
1 egg white
Half cup honey
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp coconut oil
Half tsp salt
Method
Combine the oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds in a bowl. Slice the dried coconut into bite sized pieces and add it to the bowl.
Whisk the egg white until frothy. Add the egg white along with all the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well.
Line 2-3 baking trays with parchment paper. Spread out the mixture on the trays in a thin layer.
Preheat the oven at 170 degrees Celsius. Place the trays for 30 minutes, removing them midway and giving the mixture a good toss.
Keep a watch so that the granola doesn’t burn. It will continue to crisp up when cooling outside the oven. Pack in an airtight container when cool. This will stay good for 3-4 weeks.
SMOKEY COCONUT SALAD TOPPERS
Makes half cup
Ingredients
2 halves of dried coconut
Quarter tsp salt
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp smoked paprika
Method
Slice the coconut into long pieces. Toss well in salt, honey and smoked paprika. Place on a parchment paper lined baking tray in a single layer.
Bake in a preheated oven at 150 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. Keep a close watch to prevent burning. You can do this in an airfryer at a low temperature for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool completely. Store in an airtight container and use within 2 weeks as a crunchy topper for salads. If you avoid the smoked paprika, you can use this to top Greek yogurt and fruit bowls.
Double Tested is a column on vegetarian cooking, highlighting a single ingredient prepared two ways. Nandita Iyer (@saffrontrail) is a doctor, wellness advocate and author.