The Kudkuran Made It to Saveur's 2008 100 List!

The Errant Potter is back!

Earlier tonight, I was browsing the latest issue of Saveur magazine (issue #108) which featured a list of 100 must haves, and was really excited to find my beloved kudkuran listed as 97th on the magazine's list for 2008! The kudkuran, as the bench coconut grater is called in Pilipino, is a familiar kitchen implement in Philippine country kitchens. This humble implement is especially valued and beloved in the Bicol region, where local cuisine is noted for its generous use of coconut cream or coconut milk. Obtaining coconut cream from scratch requires serious work, if one favors the use of the kudkuran. The implement is a rudimentary serrated round metal piece shaped like a flat spoon with a short handle, secured with screws or bent nails, attached to a tiny (I mean it!) and low wooden bench. One has to ride astride the bench and grate the meat from the half shell. It takes careful motions to produce fine, curly strands of coconut meat that is then soaked briefly in a cup of hot water, squeezed by hand, then strained. A more common alternative was to use an finial-like metal piece with blades attached to a motor, but that requires skill and best left to the guys in the local markets to deal with. Unfortunately, canned coconut cream and milk is so common in Asian markets in the United States, relegating the kudkuran to a curious piece. I bought one a few years ago, and kept the steel blade oiled even if I seldom used it. Friends tease me whenever I used it and thought it was a bit eccentric to prepare coconut meat in what I considered a time-honored Bicolano tradition. It was just a matter of time when my quirkiness would be redeemed in print! I was a bit bummed that I do not have a pic of my kudkuran. I will take a few and update this post!

Interestingly enough, with a quick search, I found this article written by Janet Fletcher and published in the San Francisco Chronicle on April 11, 2007: Shell Game. it's a very informative article with really yummy Indian coconut-based recipes, so read on!