Kerisik

'Kerisik' is a condiment made of grated coconut which is toasted. It is the secret to the nutty caramelized flavour of a perfect rendang dish. Here is the only guide you need to making kerisik or coconut butter to get the best aroma and flavour.

5 stars

Cooking 20 mins

Basics, Condiment

Coconut butter

Malay, Indonesian

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Nutrition per Serving

354 kcal
15 g
33 g
3 g


Kerisik, made of toasted grated coconut is often added to the famous caramelized curry known as ‘rendang’. Both beef and chicken rendang usually have kerisik listed as one of the many ingredients needed. Kerisik is added to the curry for it to be stewed along with other ingredients to create a complex but extremely delicious tasting curry.

chicken rendang
chicken rendang

Get chicken rendang recipe here.

beef rendang
beef rendang

Get beef rendang recipe here.

Besides ‘rendang’, other dishes such as ‘nasi ulam’, ‘nasi kerabu’ and ‘serunding’ (spiced grated coconut) uses this special ingredient too. It is used for its fragrance, creamy flavour and natural preservative function. Dishes which have kerisik added to them last longer. This is a little trick used back in the days when refrigerators weren't widely available.

The best kerisik uses freshly grated coconut which is carefully toasted over low heat until it reaches the ideal golden brown shade. The toasted coconut is then pounded until the natural oil is released. This results in a shiny oily brown paste which is referred to as kerisik. Sounds simple but it can be quite tedious due to the pounding.

Can the toasted coconut be blended?

Blending will help release the oil from the toasted coconut as well. However, from my experience, I noticed there is quite a difference between blending the toasted coconut compared to pounding them with a pestle and mortar. While it helps to cut down on the hard work, blended kerisik makes the food tastes milder. The sharp blades in the blender cuts the ingredients until the oil is released. There isn't much pressure or friction during the blending process unlike when using the pestle and mortar, the motion of pounding and grinding the ingredients help to release the flavours. It is for this purpose I always prefer using the pestle and mortar.

Store-bought vs. homemade kerisik

Kerisik is also sold at supermarkets in Malaysia, Indonesia or Singapore. However, there is always a risk of oil being added to the kerisik. Such kerisik of low quality does not taste good and will not be able to keep long. Most store-bought kerisik has been processed for quite some time hence, the flavour and aroma dissipate as time passes. Therefore, using homemade kerisik is always advisable.

Tips to make tasty kerisik

Begin with the selection of coconut. The best tasting kerisik uses grated coconut from old coconuts as they contain more oil compared to young coconuts. Always ensure that the grated coconut is pounded immediately after being toasted. It should not be left to cool as heat encourages more oil to be released during pounding.

How to ensure kerisik keeps longer?

Adding a pinch of salt while pounding or blending the kerisik helps it to keep longer. Once it is ready, store it in an air tight container. It can be kept refrigerated for a month. If it turns rancid, dispose of it.

Frozen kerisik

Put them into small moulds before freezing the kerisik. Otherwise, you can also refrigerate it in a bowl until it turns solid. Cut the solidified kerisik into chunks and keep them in an airtight container. They can be kept frozen for up to 3 months.

How to make kerisik without freshly grated coconut?

Being away from countries like Malaysia or Indonesia makes it difficult to have access to freshly grated coconut. You can either buy a whole coconut, proceed to crack it open and grate it or simply opt for frozen grated coconut. This can be found at most Asian grocers. When using frozen grated coconut, ensure that it is fully thawed in the refrigerator before pan-frying. 100g of grated coconut will produce 2 tablespoons of coconut butter (kerisik).

Other substitutes are coconut cream and desiccated coconut. Coconut cream needs to be cooked over low heat until it browns. Use immediately as kerisik as per recipe or store it in the fridge. As for desiccated coconut, there is only one drawback as it does not release any oil. However, the aroma of toasted coconut is present. Therefore, adding a spoonful of coconut oil will improve the flavour.


Ingredients

Servings:  
100 g
grated coconut

Steps to Prepare

Kerisik Step 1

Step 1 of 2

    • 100 g grated coconut

Heat pan over low temperature. Once the pan is fully heated, pan-fry shredded coconut until golden brown. Do not allow it to turn too dark because the colour of grated coconut will continue to darken.

Kerisik Step 2

Step 2 of 2

When the shredded coconut is ready, blend it immediately or pound it using a pestle and mortar until oil is released. Add to dishes as recommended in recipes.

Published: May 26, 2019


4 Discussions

Ian
2 years ago

Ian

This recipe says “ As for desiccated coconut, there is only one drawback as it does not release any oil.” I use shop bought desiccated coconut, toast it and then immediately pound it into a nice brown sticky paste. Seems to work for me and gives Rendang a lovely taste and texture. There must have been some sort of oil to have turned out this way. Or, have I missed something here ???

Grace
2 years ago

Grace

That is great, Ian! I've never been able to extract the oil. Instead, it creates a powdery consistency. Happy to know that you had a positive experience.

dinomum
3 years ago

dinomum

How long roughly will the pounding be for the oil to be released? I pounded for 10mins till the Kerisik is no long hot but I do not get any oil.

Grace
3 years ago

Grace

Depends on the amount and how much pressure you use. It took me ca. 20 minutes in this recipe. Lots of energy until oil is finally released.

dinomum
3 years ago

dinomum

I need to work harder...lol

Joel Daniel
3 years ago

Joel Daniel

I made my kerisik the day before to reduce prep time, kept it in the cupboard as I didn't want it to solidify in the fridge...it solidified anyway! Is this normal and what is the best way to store it please?

Mira - Community Happiness Manager
3 years ago

Mira - Community Happiness Manager

Hi Joel, it is best to store kerisik in the fridge. You can still use it even if it is solidified. Tip: Add a pinch a salt to prolong the shelf life as explained above "How to ensure kerisik keeps longer?"

Joel Daniel
3 years ago

Joel Daniel

brilliant thank you.

Yi Fong
4 years ago

Yi Fong

In the recipe, it wrote "100g of grated coconut will produce 2 tablespoons of coconut butter (kerisik)". I cross referenced with a recipe and saw that 2 tbsp is approximately 14g. I bought 140-180g of grated coconut (I forgot the exact weight) which yielded 80g of kerisik. Have uploaded an image of my kerisik in my snap, could you help me take a look and see if I made the kerisik correctly, or should I have pounded it longer? Thank you!

Mira - Community Happiness Manager
4 years ago

Mira - Community Happiness Manager

Well done with your first homemade kerisik. I think it looks good but could be pounded longer for a finer paste. That way, you'll get to extract more oil too!

Yi Fong
4 years ago

Yi Fong

Thanks Mira! I'd definitely give it another go when I'm making rendang again. The kerisik is awesome, the smell of toasted grated coconut is lovely.

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