Kokum Sharbat (Tangy Purple Konkan Cooler)
کوکم شربت (کونکن کا کھٹا جامنی شربت)
On India's west coast, from Goa up to Ratnagiri, summer means kokum sharbat: a vivid purple-red drink made from the dried rinds of the fruit. Steeped in water and sweetened, kokum gives a fruity, tart flavour somewhere between cranberry and tamarind. A pinch of roasted cumin and black salt makes it even more refreshing. It's sold in bottles as a concentrate all over Maharashtra and Goa, but it's easy to make at home.
- ⏱ Total: 20 min
- Prep: 10 min
- Cook: 10 min
- Easy
- Serves 6
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Soak the kokum in the hot water for 2 hours, then squeeze the rinds well to release their colour. Strain the deep purple liquid.
Simmer the kokum water with the sugar for 5 minutes until the sugar dissolves and it's slightly syrupy. Cool.
Stir in the cumin and black salt. This concentrate keeps for 2 weeks in the fridge.
Mix 1 part concentrate with 4 parts cold water, add mint and ice and serve.
Kitchen notes
Kokum is sold in Indian grocers as dried rinds or as ready-made concentrate (agal).
Use soda water for a fizzy kokum cooler.
The leftover soaked rinds can go into fish curry or dal for sourness.
The Konkan coast’s summer drink
The Konkan coast, running along Maharashtra and Goa, is hot and humid for much of the year. Kokum trees grow wild there, and their sour purple fruit is dried in the sun and used all year: in fish curries, in dal, and above all in drinks. Kokum sharbat is offered to guests on hot afternoons the way Rooh Afza is in Pakistan.
Colour and tang
Kokum rinds release a deep purple-red colour when soaked, and the drink is naturally bright without any added colouring. Its sourness is fruity and gentle, more like berries than lemon.
A simple concentrate
Make a batch of syrup and keep it in the fridge. When you want a glass, just mix with cold water or soda, and add mint and ice.
Serving
Serve chilled. Kokum is also the base of sol kadhi, the pink coconut-milk drink served after Goan meals. For a Pakistani favourite in the same spirit, try Rooh Afza or imli aloo bukhara sharbat.
Questions people ask
What does kokum taste like?
Tart and fruity, a bit like a cross between cranberry, plum and tamarind.
Can I use kokum concentrate from a shop?
Yes. Most bottled kokum agal is already sweetened, so taste before adding sugar.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 100
- Protein
- 0 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
