This refreshing
kadhi is great with plain rice. Some people like to drink this at the
end of their meal.
What
is Kokam?
1 Coconut milk
tin
10 Kokam pieces
2 cloves garlic
1 green chili
1 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste
Soak kokam in
about 3 tablespoons of warm water. The water will turn reddish pink.
Grind the garlic and green chili. Mix the coconut milk, garlic and
green chili paste, salt, kokam water together. Sprinkle chopped
coriander leaves on top. Keep in the refrigerator. Serve chilled with hot rice and
fried fish!
What is
Kokam?
Kokum is a fruit
which is often halved and dried, so that the dried seeds are visible in
their chambers like a citrus fruit. It is available in the dried form
and it is dark purple to black, sticky and with curled edges
resembling a thick plum skin. When added to food it imparts a pink to
purple color and sweet and sour taste.
Similar to tamarind, kokum skins
are usually infused in hot water. The deeper the color the better the
kokum. Kokum especially enhances coconut-based
curries or vegetable dishes like potatoes, okra or lentils. Kokum is
especially used with fish curries, three or four skins being enough to
season an average dish. It is also included in chutneys and
pickles.
The skins are not
usually chopped but are added whole to the dish. Seasoning should be
checked as they are quite salty. Beware of biting on a stone as a few
are often left in the skins.
It will keep in an airtight jar for about a year.
Kokam which is grown along the Konkan coast in
Konkan, Malabar and Kanara regions of Western Maharashtra,
not only makes for a tangy cold drink but it is also a
medicinal fruit that counters acidity and indigestion. It is also an
essential ingredient in the sol kadhi served in various fish joints in
Mumbai. Top
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