Garcinia Indica or Kokum(called 'bhirnda' or 'bhinda' in Konkani, 'murugala hannu' in Kannada) can be called as one of the most used ingredient in Konkani cooking. Almost every household in Goa has a Kokum tree. The seeds of the fruit have a white colored fleshy coating on it. When the fruit becomes very ripe, it's color changes to a bit transparent.
My side of the story.... :)
While going through some recipe blogs today, I came across a very interesting fact! Came as a shock to me actually, coz I least expected it! :) Well, did u all know that 'kokum' is nothing but the shells of the fruit Mangustaan or Mangosteen (in english)???
The plant is native to the Western Ghats region in India. It is also known as Bindin, Biran, Bhirand, Bhinda, Bhrinda, Brinda, Kokum, Katambi, Panarpuli, Ratamba or Amsol in Indian names and in English as Mangosteen, red mango or wild mangosteen.
I've been eating mangustaan since a child, every year during it's season at a place called courtallam, famous for it's waterfalls. Hardly people up north knew what it was then, and here we used enjoy the fruit every year....wait for the season, and bought in baskets to bring it back home! Past 6-7 years, slowly it started getting popular, and obviously suddenly the price of each mangustaan shot up sky high, upto Rs. 8-10! (reminds of our sensex! Hiccup!!) ;-)
Then I learnt that it is a native fruit available in Malaysia, singapore, Thailand. Yeh, I did buy them during my trip to bangkok in 2005, they were so cheap there!! Say about Rs. 25-30 for a kilo!! :)
Now of coz, mangosteens are exported out of the local villages to the cities and we do get them at the fruit shops here for Rs.4-5 per piece!
I recommend all of you MUST take a look @ this site to know the entire biography
;-) of Kokum. It has been well explained with beautiful pictures!
TIme for some recipes now. :)
RECIPES
KOKUM CURRY/SOL KADI
Ingredients
Coconut milk 4 cups, 6-7 kokam halves, 2 green chilies if medium hot, ¼ inch ginger piece, coriander leaves, chopped, 3-4 curry leaves, salt to taste.
For tempering: 2 tbsp. ghee, a pinch of asafetida (hing), cumin seeds (jeera)
Method:
Soak kokum halves in a cup of water for 1 hr.
Cut green chilies.
Chop coriander leaves.
Grind green chilies, coriander leaves, ginger to make a fine paste.
Pour coconut milk in suitable container.
Squeeze kokam halves to extract juice.
Add kokum juice in coconut milk and mix it well.
Add salt & sugar to taste.
Now heat ghee in pan, add cumin seeds. Add asafoetida(hing), curry leaves
Pour this (tadka)mixture on kadhi.
Serv with rice or enjoy it as a drink in hot summer days.
KOKUM SHERBAT/KOKUM DRINK
Ingredients:
4 cups ripe red Kokum or Amsool
5 cups Sugar
1/4 th teaspoon Black salt
!/4 th teaspoon fresh roasted Cumin powder
1 teaspoon Salt.
Wash and clean the kokums. Cut them into half. Mix the kokums and sugar in a dry bowl. Place this mixture in a dry glass jar. Let this sit in the sun for 15 days. A red syrup should form. Drain out the kokum sugar syrup. Add cumin powder, black salt and salt and stir well. Adjust sugar if needed.
How to serve: :
In a glass pour 1/4th cup of Kokum concentrate. Top it up with ice cold water. Mix well. Serve chilled.
More about Kokum:
Aamsool or 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.
Among the major uses of kokum are, as a garnish for curries and in the preparation of cooling syrups like the "Koakam Sarbat" or Kokum drink. Kokum has been known to counter acidity and indigestion. In India it is used only in the regional cuisines of Gujarat, Maharashtra and several southern states
How to use Kokum ?
Similar to tamarind, kokum skins are used to add a certain kind of sourness to a dish. Kokum skins are usually infused in hot water and left to soak to become soft. The soft kokum skins are used whole to flavor a dish and the skins are removed before serving. The deeper the color the better the kokum.
The skins are not usually chopped but are added whole to the dish. Seasoning should be checked as they are quite salty as they are stored in a salt solution and set aside to cure. Beware of biting on a stone as a few are often left in the skins.
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.
It will stay in an airtight jar for about a year!
Monday, October 20, 2008
What is 'Sabudana''?
'Sabudana'- Tapioca pearls!
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition explains:
Tapioca , widely used starchy food, obtained from the fleshy root of the bitter cassava . Tapioca is sold in flake or flour form and as the pellet pearl tapioca. Tapioca flour is widely used in place of wheat flour in regions where it is grown, e.g., South and Central America, Africa, the West Indies, and parts of India. When cooked it becomes transparent and increases in size. It is used to thicken puddings and soups.
Sabudana is the local name for sago.
Nutritient Value:
100 gms would contain 351 kcal, 87 gms carbohydrate, 0.2 gm of fat and protein each. It's nutrient value is actually poor, and it provides just a large quantity of starch, with little or no minerals and vitamins.
SABUDANA KHICHDI
This is a yummy & delicious recipe eaten in Maharashtra.
Ingredients
2 cup sabudana (tapioca),
1 potato,
3-4 green chilies,
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional),
1 small piece ginger (optional),
1/2 cup peanut powder,
2-3 teaspoon sugar,
salt to taste,
1 tbspoon oil,
2 teaspoon cumin seeds,
coconut and coriander leaves for garnishing.
Method
1. Soak sabudana in water. Drain the water and keep it aside for half an hour to one hour (Depending on the quality, sometimes the sabudana needs to be soaked overnight in a little bit of water).
2. Now add peanut powder, salt, sugar and lemon juice and mix.
3. Cut green chilies into small pieces and grate ginger.
4. Heat oil or ghee in a pan.6. Add cumin seeds, potato pieces and chilies.
7. As soon as potatoes are tender, add sabudana and stir.
8. Cook uncovered for sometime and keep mixing so that sabudana will not stick to the bottom.
9. Garnish with coconut and coriander leaves. Serve hot.
Tip: As mentioned above in step 2, add all the ingredients to the soaked sabudana before cooking. While making khichdi, do not cover the pan, else it will turn into an elastic ball. Khichdi tastes excellent if tossed continuously while cooking.
Ingredients:
4 large potatoes boiled, peeled and mashed
1/2 cup sabudana (sago)
Water
1 large onion chopped very fine
2 green chillies chopped very fine
2" piece of ginger grated
1/4 cup peanuts roasted and crushed coarsely
1 tsp raw mango powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
Salt to taste
Vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil for shallow frying.
Preparation:
Soak the sabudana (sago) in warm water overnight. It will puff up and become translucent.
Mix the sabudana with all the other ingredients and form a paste. Add salt to taste.
Make the paste into equal-sized balls and flatten slightly to form patties.
Heat oil in a wide, flat pan and shallow fry the patties till golden.
Drain on paper towels and serve with tamarind chutney, mint-coriander chutney and piping-hot Masala Chai.
SABUDANA KHEER
Ingredients:
• 1 tbsp Sago granules
• 4 Cups milk
• 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder
• 3/4 Cup sugar
• 1 Cup water
How to make Sabudana Kheer:
• Wash the sago granules and drain. Leave aside for 10 minutes.
• Loosen the sago grains when moisture is absorbed.
• Heat water and add sago granules.
• Bring to a boil. Stir constantly.
• Slow down the flame and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add more water if needed.
• Pour milk and bring the mixture to a boil.
• Cook for about five minutes. Add sugar and cardamom.
• Keep stirring occasionally.
• Cook till sago becomes soft but not mushy. You can check it pressing between the fingers.
• Saboodana Kheer is ready!
SABUDANA DOSA
Ingredients
1 cup rice flour
1 cup sabudana, soak it for 5 to 6 hrs in water
5 tablespoons yogurt (curds)
1 onion
1 teaspoon jeera powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 green chilies
coriander leaves
salt
Directions
1. Mix the above well.
2. The batter should be of dropping consistency.
3. Heat the pan with a little oil.
4. Pour 1 ladleful of batter and make small round dosas.
5. Once it is cooked on one side just turn it over and cook till done.
6. Remove and serve hot.
7. You can enjoy this with Coconut Chutney.
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition explains:
Tapioca , widely used starchy food, obtained from the fleshy root of the bitter cassava . Tapioca is sold in flake or flour form and as the pellet pearl tapioca. Tapioca flour is widely used in place of wheat flour in regions where it is grown, e.g., South and Central America, Africa, the West Indies, and parts of India. When cooked it becomes transparent and increases in size. It is used to thicken puddings and soups.
Sabudana is the local name for sago.
Nutritient Value:
100 gms would contain 351 kcal, 87 gms carbohydrate, 0.2 gm of fat and protein each. It's nutrient value is actually poor, and it provides just a large quantity of starch, with little or no minerals and vitamins.
RECIPES
This is a yummy & delicious recipe eaten in Maharashtra.
Ingredients
2 cup sabudana (tapioca),
1 potato,
3-4 green chilies,
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional),
1 small piece ginger (optional),
1/2 cup peanut powder,
2-3 teaspoon sugar,
salt to taste,
1 tbspoon oil,
2 teaspoon cumin seeds,
coconut and coriander leaves for garnishing.
Method
1. Soak sabudana in water. Drain the water and keep it aside for half an hour to one hour (Depending on the quality, sometimes the sabudana needs to be soaked overnight in a little bit of water).
2. Now add peanut powder, salt, sugar and lemon juice and mix.
3. Cut green chilies into small pieces and grate ginger.
4. Heat oil or ghee in a pan.6. Add cumin seeds, potato pieces and chilies.
7. As soon as potatoes are tender, add sabudana and stir.
8. Cook uncovered for sometime and keep mixing so that sabudana will not stick to the bottom.
9. Garnish with coconut and coriander leaves. Serve hot.
Tip: As mentioned above in step 2, add all the ingredients to the soaked sabudana before cooking. While making khichdi, do not cover the pan, else it will turn into an elastic ball. Khichdi tastes excellent if tossed continuously while cooking.
SABUDANA VADA
This snack from Maharashtra in western India is great for cold, rainy days as an accompaniment to hot Masala Chai (spiced tea)!
Ingredients:
4 large potatoes boiled, peeled and mashed
1/2 cup sabudana (sago)
Water
1 large onion chopped very fine
2 green chillies chopped very fine
2" piece of ginger grated
1/4 cup peanuts roasted and crushed coarsely
1 tsp raw mango powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
Salt to taste
Vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil for shallow frying.
Preparation:
Soak the sabudana (sago) in warm water overnight. It will puff up and become translucent.
Mix the sabudana with all the other ingredients and form a paste. Add salt to taste.
Make the paste into equal-sized balls and flatten slightly to form patties.
Heat oil in a wide, flat pan and shallow fry the patties till golden.
Drain on paper towels and serve with tamarind chutney, mint-coriander chutney and piping-hot Masala Chai.
SABUDANA KHEER
Ingredients:
• 1 tbsp Sago granules
• 4 Cups milk
• 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder
• 3/4 Cup sugar
• 1 Cup water
How to make Sabudana Kheer:
• Wash the sago granules and drain. Leave aside for 10 minutes.
• Loosen the sago grains when moisture is absorbed.
• Heat water and add sago granules.
• Bring to a boil. Stir constantly.
• Slow down the flame and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add more water if needed.
• Pour milk and bring the mixture to a boil.
• Cook for about five minutes. Add sugar and cardamom.
• Keep stirring occasionally.
• Cook till sago becomes soft but not mushy. You can check it pressing between the fingers.
• Saboodana Kheer is ready!
SABUDANA DOSA
Ingredients
1 cup rice flour
1 cup sabudana, soak it for 5 to 6 hrs in water
5 tablespoons yogurt (curds)
1 onion
1 teaspoon jeera powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 green chilies
coriander leaves
salt
Directions
1. Mix the above well.
2. The batter should be of dropping consistency.
3. Heat the pan with a little oil.
4. Pour 1 ladleful of batter and make small round dosas.
5. Once it is cooked on one side just turn it over and cook till done.
6. Remove and serve hot.
7. You can enjoy this with Coconut Chutney.
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