What is Kokum??

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!