The whole reason we turned the weekend into bagel-fest was that we'd finally procured ourselves a packet of flaked coconut (in Hobart of all places!) with which to mimic New Day Rising's famous CLT. There are plenty of recipes floating around for turning flaked coconut into bacon - I basically combined a few of them to make ours. The key (as with all fake-bacon really) is liquid smoke and plenty of it. The coconut crisps up better than any of our other bacon substitutes, although you've got to be really careful not to burn it.In some ways I'd rate this our most successful bacon substitute - especially where you're not counting on it to be the centrepiece of your meal (in which case you should probably stick with tempeh). Combined with some vegan mayo, greens and sliced tomato on a home-made bagel, this was a pretty wonderful way to start a Sunday.
Flaked coconut bacon
(based on recipes from Johanna and Vegan Brew)
1 cup flaked coconut (any tips on local suppliers would be appreciated!)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons tamari
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1-2 tablespoons liquid smoke (seriously, don't skimp)
a sprinkle of garlic powder
Whisk together all the marinade ingredients in a tupperware container and stir through the coconut. Pop the lid on and let the coconut marinate in the fridge for as long as you can wait.
Spray a frying with a bit of oil and, when it's hot, tip the coconut and any leftover marinade in. Cook, stirring often, until the coconut pieces are just short of burnt - they should be sticky and crispy and have turned the colour of well-cooked bacon bits.
Enjoy!
I've been meaning to make this for ages.... NO TIME ... that looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteGet onto it Carla! SO GOOD.
DeleteThe distributor for the coconut is Matthews-Shiloh, if that helps... and we get it from Melbourne! So somewhere should definitely have it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Elizabeth! I was very happy to see it in your shop. Since then I've noticed it in Radical Grocery so we'll have to think of a different excuse to return to Tassie. ;-)
DeleteMatthews-Shiloh have closed down. New distributor for coconut is Thacha Marketing (Healthy Aim brand). Just found them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/HealthyAim). Hope this helps :)
DeleteThanks for the update!
DeleteOh yum. I had a club sandwich with tofu and coconut-bacon in Philly, and I really should try making some because that stuff is amazing.
ReplyDeleteTheresa - residing in more tropical climes, I wonder if you should even investigate a fresh coconut version! Not so crispy, but I can imagine it being so tender and sweet...
DeleteCan I ask - with the flaked coconut.. How do you purchase it? Is it in long strips, and crumbly.. or..?
ReplyDeleteHi Mattheworbit! It's sold dried in a bag like dessicated or shredded coconut but the pieces are more like short flat ribbons (see here). I would imagine that a health food shop is your best bet for tracking it down.
DeleteBe careful to avoid the sweetened ones! Pre-sugared coconut seems to be common in the U.S., for example.
Thanks Cindy!
DeleteOoooh, I have a bottle of liquid smoke at home and have been wondering what else I can do with it - this will definitely be getting tried. Please excuse my ignorance but would an ordinary, reduced salt soy sauce work instead of the tamari?
ReplyDeleteWelcome, CheezyK! Yes, I'm sure your reduced salt soy sauce will work fine. We have got into the habit of using tamari simply because it's gluten-free.
DeleteHave fun with your liquid smoke! Another thing we love to do with it is sprinkle it over finely chopped tempeh, sautéed and used instead of mince.
how funny that you found the right coconut in hobart - once I found some I had to try it and must find more! Have you had a look for coconut flakes at the vic market - that is where I found it but haven't been back to check if they still have it!
ReplyDeleteI never find any liquid smoke and finished my stash so I have tried it with smoked paprika and that works fine. It is so amazing in sandwiches but I still want to try it again in pizza.
Johanna, we looked for the coconut where you previously directed us and had no luck! Since then I have found it at Radical Grocery, and on twitter ah_blake recommended NSM Wholesalers in West Brunswick.
DeleteI will keep your paprika alternative in mind. I am usually able to find liquid smoke down at Lygon Court - I'll happily grab you some if you'd like to use it again!
I usually get my liquid smoke from Leo's in Heidelberg or USA foods in Moorabbin. Good to know smoked paprika works too.
DeleteThanks, Shawna. :-)
DeleteCareful, I might add your home to my weekend cafe rotation. How's your coffee service?
ReplyDeleteHa! I think this is the kind of establishment where Toby just orders the tea. ;-)
DeleteThat looks fantastic! I must try making coconut bacon again, my first attempt wasn't great but that could have been because I put it in calzones and the flakes didn't seem to hold their flavour. I must try it in a sandwich next time. I found my coconut flakes at a local health food store
ReplyDeleteMel, I'm interested to hear that yours didn't translate well to calzones - I was similarly thinking about using the bacon as part of a stuffing/filling but will proceed with caution.
DeleteI just got back from a whirlwind shopping trip at Fruit Pedallers in Westgarth. They are selling their own house brand coconut flakes for only $8.00 a kilo! I bought a giant bag and it was about $3.60.
ReplyDeleteNow, you may be more up to speed with this than me, but I just discovered on this trip to Fruit Pedallers, which was only going to be a quick one to buy chamomile tea, that they have doubled in size (taking over the shop next door) and seem to have changed their name to Terra Madre. The place was bursting a the seams with people, and they are now offering the widest range of organic products that I've ever seen, and the prices are all amazingly low.
So I now have a large amount of flaked coconut and am looking for stuff to do with it. I will give this coconut bacon a go! :-)
Hi Anna - thanks very much for this advice! We haven't visited Fruit Pedallers before and it sounds great. Hopefully I can hit High St to stock up on coconut and other deliciousness before Christmas. :-)
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