I always forget how much I love cooking. Cooking in Hong Kong with a kitchen the size of a closet can be tough, but manageable. You have to improvise a lot. Whenever I am given the opportunity to cook in a bigger space with the kitchen appliances I’ve had to forfeit, it practically feels like Christmas. I was so excited when my two week trip to #WonderfulIndonesia included a cooking class at Rumah Desa Cooking Studio in Bali!
Rumah Desa is located in a small village called Baru in the Margo district of Tabanan Bali. The village is dedicated to maintaining Balinese culture by inviting guests to learn about Indonesian traditions, art, music, food, and agriculture. We spent the whole learning how to plant rice, cook Balinese food and my favorite part, how to make coconut oil from scratch.
I use coconut oil for everything. I literally have a jar that sits next to my bed, a tub in the kitchen, a coconut oil coffee exfoliant in my shower, and a vial of it in my purse. I didn’t realize how easy it is to make coconut oil until Rumah Desa literally demonstrated how it’s done! I honestly probably will never do this at home, albeit, I’ll share it with you guys just in case you actually have the space and an abundant supply of coconuts!
Step 1: CLIMB THE TREE!
Yes, they taught us to climb a coconut tree! I was wearing a skirt, so wasn’t able to participate, but they made it look so easy!
Step 2: Remove the husk.
After collecting the coconuts, begin by removing the husk from the coconuts using a sharp spike that pierces the outer layer. Wear gloves and try not to stab yourself with the spike.
Step 3: Crack it open.
Careful hands find the hollow point of the coconut. Continue tapping and rotating the coconut until you hear a hollow point. If you think you’ve got it, use a sharp metal object to crack that sucker open. If you’re hitting the sweet spot, you actually don’t have to hit it that hard (that’s what she said). The coconut water is then poured out into a separate container for drinking.
Step 4: Scrape the coconut meat.
Use a spoon, knife or special tool that helps scrape all the coconut meat from the shell of the coconut.
Step 5: Grind the coconut meat.
Put the coconut meat into a grinder or shred it by hand using a grater as pictured above.
Step 6: Add hot water and massage the coconut meat.
Add a bit of hot water to the freshly grated coconut and massage to release its milk.
Step 7: Separate the milk from the meat.
Use a cheese cloth to separate the liquid from the meat remnants. What’s left of the coconut meat is used for feeding the village animals.
Step 8: Boil and cool.
The milk is then boiled and cooled. The cream floats to the top floating over the coconut oil. Let it cool before separating the oil and the cream.
There you go, a short intro on how to make coconut oil !!! For more information on Indonesia travel, please visit www.indonesia.travel
Jl. Raya Marga-Apuan KM. 8, Banjar Baru, Desa Baru, Kecamatan Marga, Kec. Tabanan, Bali 82181, Indonesia
w: rumahdesa.com
p: +62 812-3954-987