Kerisik is a classic ingredient frequently used in Malay cooking. Made from fresh, grated coconut, it is essentially toasted grated coconut pounded until it becomes a thick, gritty, oily paste.
It has a delightful, mouthwatering scent, and a deep, toasty-smoky coconut flavour that adds a different dimension to the dishes it is made with. Eliminating kerisik from any recipe that calls for it will result in a dish that lacks depth of taste and texture.
Making it is relatively easy, which is why it is often created fresh by chefs and the best of home cooks instead of bought ready-made from a store.
Different “levels” of kerisik, varying in texture and oiliness, are used for different recipes. Here is the kind that is used in beef or chicken rendang.
Ingredients
- 200g freshly grated coconut
Method
- Add the freshly grated coconut to a dry, non-oiled wok or a non-stick pan on medium to high heat.
- Stir continuously with a wooden spoon or metal spatula until it turns a nice golden brown, continuously scraping the sides of the pan to ensure the grated coconut doesn’t stick and burn unevenly. This will take about 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and place in a large bowl to avoid the coconut from cooking any further.
- With the coconut still hot, transfer it to a mortar with room for movement. Pound with a pestle until oil starts to emerge. You may have to do this in batches if your mortar can’t fit all the toasted coconut in one go.
- The end result will be a thick, oily and gritty paste – kerisik, ready for the using!
Tips
- You can use the kerisik immediately, or let it cool completely and keep refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to two weeks.
- Leftovers can also be frozen for up to a couple of months. However, the fresher the kerisik, the better the taste.
- Don’t wait for the toasted coconut to cool before pounding it, as this will make it more difficult to get the oil out.
- If you’re feeling lazy, you can use a food processor instead of pounding the toasted coconut by hand. Keep processing the coconut until it becomes an oily, sandy paste. However, this method will result in a finer-textured kerisik, which may be what you want for other recipes, though not necessarily for rendang.
This article first appeared in butterkicap.com, a food and culture platform and community that enables anyone to experience Malaysia through stories of her people, food and places.