Coconut beneficial properties

Coconut nut coconut( Cocos nucifera L.) is a family of palm trees. The height of the tree is 15-30 m, about 50 cm in diameter. At the apex of 15-30 pinnate leaves 4-6 m long. It blooms on the 5th-7th year of life. Flowers yellowish, unisexual. The tree develops 60-200 fruits a year. They ripen slowly. The first, the largest harvest is taken from May to July. The second is from November to January, and then there are small fees. Fruits - large, oval. The fruit coat consists of three layers. The outer shell is thin but dense, beneath it there is an interfluence of loose brown fibers, and then a very hard woody intraglio, which, together with the seed contained in it, is a coconut.

As the walnut ripens, it changes. Initially, the contents of the nut( endosperm) - transparent, sweet and sour, cool bone. Then there are drops of fatty oil, an emulsion of milky color - coconut milk is formed. It is very tasty and nutritious. As the maturing layers of endosperm, adjacent to the intraspin, thicken and turn into a pulp of milky color.

The origin of the coconut palm is unknown, it grows in many countries.

It is believed that the birthplace of coconut - South America, grows and is cultivated in the coastal zone and near water bodies in the tropics.

The main centers for the cultivation of coconut palms are the Philippine Islands( where more than half of the world's coconut crop is harvested), the islands of the Malay Archipelago, Malacca Peninsula, India and Sri Lanka.

A young tender coconut fruit contains a transparent watery liquid, not only refreshing and quenching thirst, but also very palatable.

When harvesting, the fibrous part of the fetus is ripped off, the nut is split in two, and the endosperm is removed, then dried on pipes with hot water and scraped. The dried copra contains 65% fatty oil. Coconut oil hardens at a temperature of 23 ° C, has a white color, a pleasant taste and smell. It is used for food.

Benefit of

Coconut has medicinal and medicinal properties. It contains vitamins B and C, as well as mineral salts necessary for the human body - sodium, calcium, iron, potassium, and up to 5% glucose, fructose and sucrose.

100 g contains: 3.9 g of protein, 33.9 g of fat, 200 mg of phosphorus, 28 mg of calcium, 257 mg of potassium, 257 mg of sodium, 2.3 mg of iron, 0.4 mg of nicotinic acid, 0.11mg of thiamine, 0.18 mg of riboflavin, 0.08 mg of vitamin B2, 16.8 mg of vitamin C. Energy value is 384 kcal.

Microelements contained in milk and pulp of coconut, endow it with properties that restore strength and improve vision. Coconut is a good remedy for diseases such as diarrhea, cholera.

Coconut in cosmetics

Coconut oil is widely used in cosmetics. There are many cosmetic products - creams, masks, shampoos, rinses, which have a quickly absorbable oily( but not sticky) texture. So, the milk made on the basis of a coconut, does a skin elastic, gentle, a satin. In addition, it has a very pleasant, gentle and sensual smell.

Coconut oil is a part of various ointments.

It is quickly absorbed by the skin, it is an excellent carrier of essential oils. Makes the skin velvety. Suitable for mixing with ready-made sunscreens, emulsions( 10-15 g of coconut oil + 2-3 drops of essential oil or mixture).

Soap is made from it - the only thing that foams in the sea water. From the young incised inflorescences, before blossoming, a sweet liquid containing up to 15% sugar is obtained. When the juice is evaporated, brown palm sugar is obtained.

Coconut in cooking

Pulp and coconut milk is used in cooking and for the production of spirits, soups. For example, white pulp of coconut is ground and in the form of shavings are added to ice cream, yoghurts, various salads, confectionery. Coconut flour in various confectionery products gives them an exquisite taste and gives them healing properties. Coconut oil is used for cooking food, as well as for making margarine.

Potato and coconut salad

6 medium-sized potatoes, 13/4 cup( 425 ml) of yoghurt, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 11/2 cups( 100 g) of grated coconut, 1 tablespoon of melted butter, 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds, 1 pod of fresh spicypepper, finely chopped, 2 hard ripe tomatoes, washed and sliced ​​each for 8 lobules, 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger( if desired), a few twigs of parsley.

Boil the potatoes "in a uniform".Clean, cut into cubes, put in a bowl and cool. Mix yoghurt, salt and grated coconut. Heat them in a small frying pan, put the seeds of mustard there. Immediately cover with a lid so that the seeds do not jump out onto the stove. When they stop popping, add ginger and pepper. Stir some seconds. Pour the resulting mixture into a bowl with yogurt, add potatoes, mix and gently shake to make it evenly covered with a layer of yogurt and spices. Serve chilled, decorated with parsley and tomato slices. This salad of boiled potatoes, grated coconut and seasoned with yogurt spices, fits well with any dish and is very easy to prepare.

Soup with chicken and coconut

For 4 servings: 950 ml of coconut milk, 115 g of chicken breast, cut into strips, 2 shoots of lemongrass, crushed and sliced ​​in large chunks;2 shredded thin rings of green onions;3 -4 fresh chili peppers, peeled from seeds and shredded;1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves and unmilled - for decoration.

Heat coconut milk in a saucepan, slightly bringing it to a boil, add chicken meat and lemon grass. Add fire, so that the liquid is hardly flipped, and cook chicken, without a lid, about 4 minutes until soft. Add the onion and chili. Shortly increase the heat, then remove the sauté pan from the fire, add fish sauce and coriander leaves, mix. Serve on the table, decorated with coriander leaves.

Pineapple and coconut with rice

For 4 portions: 200 grams of rice with long grains, 500ml of coconut milk, 2 pcs.lemon sorghum, 200ml of water, 2 pieces of fresh pineapple, peeled and finely chopped, 2 tablespoons of dried coconut.

Rinse rice in cold water several times. Put in a pan with coconut milk. Lemon sorghum crush on the board with a rolling pin and add to the rice. Pour in water, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, close the pan tightly with a lid and cook for 15 minutes. Then remove from heat and loosen with a fork. Take the lemon sorghum and add the pineapple to the rice. Sprinkle with coconut shavings and serve with chili sauce.

Rice with coconut

350 grams of rice with long or medium grains of good quality, 21/4 cup( 150 g) of grated, lightly toasted coconut, 31/2 cup( 825ml) of water, 200 grams of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon groundseeds of cardamom, 50 g of toasted pistachios or cashew nuts, 50 g of raisins, 1 tablespoon of butter

Soak the rice in water for 1 hour, then dry it. In a medium-sized saucepan, boil water with sugar and cardamom. Put rice in boiling water and bring to a boil. After 2-3 minutes, reduce the heat to a minimum, close the lid tightly and cook for 10 minutes. Then, open the lid and quickly add the remaining components. Cook until ready for another 10 minutes. After that, remove the lid, and let the rice on a slow fire for another 2-3 minutes to evaporate excess moisture. Stir the rice gently.

Chatni from fresh coconut

11 / 2cakes of fresh finely grated coconut, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped coriander, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 green chopped chili, 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Mix all the ingredients - it turns out an acute seasoning.

Brown rice with coconut aroma

1 teaspoon of salt, 350 ml of water, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley( finely chopped), 200 g of brown long grain rice, 15 pcs.cloves, 1 lemon, 1 cup of coconut milk, 20 g of coconut chips( to decorate the dish).

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan, add concentrated coconut milk. Bring the mixture to the boil again, add salt and pour into the pan rice. With a vegetable knife, remove 2-3 strips of zest from the lemon and add them to the rice together with cinnamon and cloves. Reduce the heat to a minimum, cover the pan with a lid and cook the rice for 40-45 minutes until it becomes soft, and all the liquid is absorbed into the rice grains. If white rice is used, the cooking time should be reduced to 15-17 minutes. Remove the lid, increase the heat and allow the rice to dry for a minute. Remove the pan from the fire. Choose a carnation from rice, put it in a dish, decorate with greens and, if desired, with slices of coconut. This recipe can also be used in the preparation of white rice, but it is brown rice in combination with coconut milk that acquires a delicious taste and aroma. This garnish is served to dishes of poultry and meat.

Coconut cream with dates

300 g of dates, 300 g of grated coconut, 6 egg yolks, 150 g of sugar, 100 g of flour, 1 liter of milk, liqueur.

Boil the milk with the grated core of coconut and let stand for 1 hour. Insist dates in the liquor. Beat in the pan yolks with sugar and gradually add flour and milk with coconut. Cook the cream on low heat, constantly stirring. Cool and add 3/4 pieces of chopped dates. Decorate with whole dates and serve.

Boiled chicken with coconut nuts in antilski

Chicken - 600 g;coconut nut - 320 g;butter - 80 g;onion - 200 g;green pepper - 40 g;sugar - 12 g;saffron, lyutenitsa, salt to taste.

Chop chicken into pieces and fry in butter with finely chopped onions. Add lyutenitsu, saffron, sugar, finely chopped pepper, a little water, coconut juice, salt and simmer on low heat. When the meat becomes soft, put the pulp of coconut and bring the dish until done.

Coconuts roasted

Coconut nuts - 500 g;milk - 1,5 liters;eggs - 4 pieces;sugar - 40 g;starch - 40 g;cognac - 40 g;raisins - 60 g;cinnamon - 4 g;vanilla.

Dissolve the starch in 200 g of cold milk. The coconut pulp is grinded on a grater. Eggs beat up with cognac. The rest of the milk boil, pour the diluted starch into it and, continuously stirring again, bring to a boil. Carefully add crushed coconut pulp, raisins, sugar, whipped eggs with cognac. Ready mixture put into molds, sprinkle with cinnamon and quickly bake.

Coconut cakes

Preparation: 40 min.20 pieces

2 proteins, 125 grams of sugar, 150 g of coconut chips, 1 pinch of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 150 g of white chocolate glaze.

1. Whisk the proteins, while adding sugar. Stir the mass for another 8-10 minutes in a hot water bath until it becomes viscous.

2. Mix with coconut shavings, cinnamon and lemon juice. Cut spoons into beads the size of a nut and put them on a baking sheet covered with paper. Bake for 15 minutes at 150 ° C.

3. Dip the cakes into the melted glaze. Put on the grate and dry it.

Harm

The pulp and milk of coconut, as well as the oil made from it, are not recommended in case of individual intolerance to this product.

Recently, nutritionists began to note that coconut oil is harmful to the body, as it increases the risk of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.