Kokum Sherbet

another summer cooler that is easily available in goa is kokum sherbet. it is available in small cans and bottles in every store here.

i usually avoid buying the readymade kokum sherbet as i find them too sweet and also white sugar is added to it. i prefer to make my own kokum sherbet.

kokum also known as garcinia indica is a fruit bearing plant from the mangosteen family. the plant yields dark red colored fruits. you can see the dark red color fruits in the below pics. read more about kokum here on wiki.

the outer cover of the fruit is dried in the sun to get what we call as kokum or aamsol. after drying they yield blackish purple color. they are sour to taste and have a sweetish aroma.

this dried kokum is used to sour curries, dals and veggie dishes in the maharashtrian, gujarati, konkan, kerala and goan cuisine. it is mostly used to sour fish & prawn curries in the malvan and goan cuisine.

the dried fruit is a mildly souring agent. i add the kokum to my dals as well as make kokum curry-sol kadhi from it.
ingredients

    1 cup kokum fruits, chopped or dry kokums
    2 cups water
    2 cups sugar
    5-6 cardamoms powdered or crushed
    1 tsp roasted cumin powder
    a pinch or two of black salt or salt (optional)

method:

    rinse the kokum fruits in water. (see notes below on making the sherbet from dry kokum)
    chop the fruits and remove the seeds.
    keep the pulp and the outer cover.
    grind the fruit and pulp with little water.
    strain the whole kokum mixture.
    boil the sugar and water until the syrup becomes a little thick.
    cool the sugar syrup and then add the strained kokum mixture to it.
    add the roasted cumin powder and powdered cardamom.
    mix well.
    store in a jar or bottle and refrigerate.
    when serving, dissolve 1 or 2 tbsp of the kokum sherbet in one glass of water.
    add ice cubes and serve chilled.

my notes
follow this method if making the kokum sherbet from dry kokum peels:

1: rinse the dry kokum in water.

2: soak them in 2 cups of water for 3-4 hours.

3: collect the kokum in a blender and reserve the water.

4: grind them with some of the reserved water to a smooth mixture.

5: boil sugar with the remaining reserved water till the mixture becomes thick.

6: cool the sugar syrup and then add the kokum mixture to it.

7: add the powdered cardamom and cumin powder.

8: mix well and store in an airtight bottle or jar in the fridge.

if you do not want to make sugar syrup, then just dissolve the sugar in the kokum extract. in this case you don't need 2 cups of water. just 1 cup water can be used to soak the dry kokums and then grind them to a smooth paste. also you will need 1 cup sugar.

recently when buying veggies in the local market, i saw these red kokum fruits and had to buy it. i knew instantly what i was going to make from these red lovelies.

usually i make kokum sherbet from dry kokums. this is the first time i made the sherbet from fresh kokum fruits. if you can manage to get semi dry or dry kokums than do make kokum sherbet at home. they are the best cooling fruits in nature.

when you slice the kokums into two there will be the outer cover and the soft pulp inside with the seeds. these kokums which i had were very ripe. the outer shell had a very sour and a mild sweet taste while the inner pulp was very sour.

i sliced them all into two. removed the seeds with the pulp. then removed the pulp also. discarded the seeds. chopped the outer cover. put them in a blender and blended till smooth.

then strained the entire mixture and kept aside…. i forgot to take a pic of this one.
you can now add sugar to the strained mixture or cook sugar with water till the sugar dissolves. make a thick sugar syrup. then add the strained kokum extract to the sugar solution when it cools. spice the sherbet with some powdered cardamom and cumin.

the sherbet has to be refrigerated. store in an airtight jar or a bottle. for a serving of one glass of water, add 1-2 tablespoon of the kokum sherbet. serve chilled with ice cubes added to the sherbet.

a few health benefits of kokum:

    kokum is one of the best natural coolants for the body.
    it is excellent in reducing the pitta dosha as per ayurveda.
    kokum sherbet and kokum curry helps in digestion and improves the appetite.
    rich in vitamin c and is an anti oxidant.
    kokum is also used to treat heat rash. on a side note i remember my mom rubbing the kokum on the heat rash which we would get as kids.

so what are you waiting for…. beat the heat this summer with this refreshing and rejuvenating summer drink.