World Coconut Day 2022: 5 mouthwatering, simple coconut recipes to whip up; know history, theme

Coconut is an important ingredient for several Indian food and desserts. The fruit is known for its many medicinal and health-benefit properties. So add coconut to your dishes and enjoy tasty, healthy food.

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World Coconut Day 2022: September 2 is celebrated as World Coconut Day. The goal is to highlight the importance of coconuts and spread information about their various advantages. The delicious coconuts not only satiate our taste buds but have several health benefits when consumed. Coconut water is prescribed by many doctors when recovering from ailments and they are known to aid weight loss too. 

World Coconut Day 2022: History and theme

On September 2, 2009, the first world coconut day was observed by the Asia Pacific Coconut Community (APCC) to spread awareness of the importance and benefits of coconuts. The World Coconut Day theme for the year 2022 is "Growing Coconut for a Better Future and Life". In India, especially in the southern part of the country, coconut has widely been used in cooking several dishes and food is also cooked in coconut oil, which is known to have many health benefits.

World Coconut Day 2022: 5 recipes

Here are five recipes of delicious coconut-based dishes that you can enjoy.

Coconut rice:

A simple rice dish made with freshly grated coconut makes for a yummy dish.

How to make it:

In a pan, take coconut oil and saute peanuts, mustard and cumin seeds. Add curry leaves, chilli (both green and red), and broken cashew and keep sauteing. Add grated coconut and mix well. Mix it with cooked rice, and keep cooking till done.

Coconut laddu:

This is a delicious sweet dish and a favourite of many. In Bengal, it's known as narkol nadu and is a popular sweet dish for Durga puja. And it's very easy to make!

How to make it:

In a pan, add freshly grated coconut. Roast it well, but don't let it turn brown. Use jaggery (or you can also use sugar) and mix well. Let it cool for some time. Grease your palm with ghee and make small balls of coconut laddu. Store them in air-tight jars and enjoy!

Coconut barfi:

If you have a sweet tooth, barfis must be right up your alley. And coconut barfis just add that extra yumm. 

How to make it:

Add desiccated coconut to the sugar syrup and mix well. Then add ghee and khoya into it and keep stirring thoroughly. In a ghee-smeared pan, place the mixture and flatten it. Let it cool down. Cut them then in barfi-shaped pieces and enjoy delicious coconut barfi.

Coconut chutney:

The versatile chutney can be had with idli, dosa, and coconut rice, among others. 

How to make it:

Add freshly grated coconut, 1-2 green chillies, cumin, and fried gram/roasted chana dal in a blender. You may use garlic (optional). Grind well and then add water. Make a smooth paste. In another pan, heat oil, urad dal and red chilli. Add curry leaves and hing. Then add it to the paste. Your coconut chutney is ready. 

Coconut pudding:

This can be made both with and without eggs as per your taste and dietary preferences.

How to make:

Mix coconut milk, sugar, egg yolks (optional), cornstarch, butter, and coconut extract and cook till butter melts and the mixture thickens. Pour in bowls and cool them in a refrigerator.