What to use instead of grated coconut
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Ground into a wet paste that thickens a curry or chutney
Fresh coconut is about a third fat, so a ground paste emulsifies into the gravy and thickens it while adding sweetness. The fibre is what gives the sauce its grain.
Frozen grated coconut, thawedRan out
1:1 by weight
The closest thing there is. It carries a little more water, so simmer the gravy an extra minute to catch up.
Desiccated unsweetened coconut, rehydratedRan out
1 cup desiccated + 1/2 cup warm water, stand 15 min, per 1 cup fresh grated
Drier and less sweet, and the paste stays faintly gritty however long you run the blender. Add a spoon of oil to help it grind.
Thick coconut milk, the top of the canRan out
1/2 cup thick coconut milk per 1/2 cup grated coconut, stirred in at the end
Smooth gravy with no grain at all and less body. Hold back other liquid, and keep it under a simmer or it splits.
Cashews, soaked 20 min and groundRan out
1/4 cup cashews per 1/2 cup grated coconut
Creamier and sweeter with no coconut aroma at all. The curry stops reading south Indian and starts reading like a korma.
What doesn't work: Sweetened shredded coconut from the baking aisle. It carries roughly a quarter of its weight in added sugar, and half a cup turns a fish curry into a dessert that no amount of salt or chile pulls back.
Toasted dark and ground for kerisik, the thickener in rendang
Dry-toasting drives the water out and the oil comes to the surface, so the grounds turn into a dark oily paste that thickens rendang and gives it the roasted taste it is built on.
Desiccated unsweetened coconut, toastedRan out
1 cup desiccated per 1 cup fresh grated, toasted dry over medium-low 8 to 10 min
Browns much faster and goes from deep brown to burnt in about 30 seconds. Grinds finer, so the paste is smoother.
Unsweetened coconut flakes, chopped then toastedRan out
1 1/4 cups flakes per 1 cup grated coconut
Flakes toast unevenly unless you chop them first, so expect a few dark shards. The finished paste is slightly coarser.
Toasted ground almondsRan out
1/2 cup toasted ground almonds per 1 cup grated coconut
Thickens the same way and browns similarly. Tastes of marzipan rather than coconut, so the rendang comes out sweeter and rounder.
What doesn't work: Boiling coconut milk down in place of kerisik. Kerisik works because the toasted solids are dry and oily. Reduced coconut milk splits into oil and curds, and the rendang stays loose and pale.