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Kokum sharbat
Kokum cordial
कोकम सरबत: a ruby-red Konkan cordial of dried kokum, sugar and roasted cumin, mixed with ice-cold water
Along the Konkan coast, from Ratnagiri down to Goa, the purple kokum fruit is split and dried in the sun every summer, and the leathery rinds go into curries, sol kadhi and this sharbat. Unlike sol kadhi, there is no coconut milk here: just a clear, deep-red syrup that is fruity, tart and faintly salty, diluted with cold water and drunk after a fish lunch or on a hot afternoon to cool the stomach. Families in Malvan and Sawantwadi still make the concentrate by layering fresh fruit with sugar in jars; this quicker version uses the dried rinds you can buy anywhere. The common mistake is boiling the kokum hard for a long time, which makes the syrup taste stewed and murky; simmer gently just until the colour floods out. Chef's tip: a pinch of roasted cumin and black salt in the glass turns a simple sweet drink into the proper coastal version.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the concentrate
- 1 ¾ oz dried kokum rinds (amsul)about 15 pieces, rinsed
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 7 oz sugar
To serve
- 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
- ½ tsp black salt (kala namak)
- 5 cups chilled water
- 16 ice cubes (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Soak 1 ¾ oz dried kokum rinds (amsul) in 1 ¼ cups water that has just boiled for 5 minutes, squeezing the rinds with your fingers so the colour bleeds out.
5 minStep 2: Tip the rinds and water into a pan and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes, until the liquid is a deep ruby red. Strain, squeezing the rinds hard, and discard them.
5 minStep 3: Return the liquid to the pan, add 7 oz sugar and stir on low heat for 3–4 minutes until fully dissolved and slightly syrupy. Do not boil it down.
4 minStep 4: Cool, then pour into a clean, dry bottle. It keeps for 2 weeks in the fridge.
Step 5: For each glass, stir 3 tbsp concentrate into 150 ml of the 5 cups chilled water with a pinch each of 1 tsp roasted cumin powder and ½ tsp black salt (kala namak), and add 16 ice cubes.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 105 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 27 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kokum sharbat take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of black salt (kala namak)?
- Ordinary salt, same amount (loses the tangy, sulphurous note).
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Perfect for:Summer coolers