Kokum (Garcinia indica) Sarwat

Servings:
Preparation time: 2 minutes.
Grinding time: 2 minutes.
Boiling time: 12-15 minutes.
Serving time: 1 minutes(each glass).
Total time: 20 minutes.

“Kokum Sarbat” is a refreshing and traditional Indian beverage, particularly popular in the western coastal regions like Goa and Maharashtra. Made from the kokum fruit, which is known for not only its deep purple hue and sour taste, but also for its cooling properties and numerous health benefits, including aiding digestion and acting as an anti-inflammatory agent.

It is typically served chilled during sweltering summer heat.

I recently served homemade Kokum Sarbat as a welcome drink to our guests, introducing them to this delightful and traditional beverage for the first time. The refreshing tang and sweet-sour flavour of the kokum made a striking first impression, enchanting our guests right from their first sip. They were pleasantly surprised by the unique taste and appreciated learning about its cooling properties and health benefits.

To make the Kokum Sarbat even more appealing and colourful, I added fresh mint leaves and lemon wedges to each serving. This simple addition not only enhanced the visual appeal with vibrant green and yellow accents but also infused the drink with a burst of fresh, citrusy aroma. The mint leaves added a cool, refreshing note that complemented the tangy flavour of kokum, while the lemon wedges gave a slight increase in tartness and a hint of brightness, making the beverage not just a treat for the palate but also a feast for the eyes.

Ingredients:

Kokum: 200 gm.
Sugar: 2 cups.
Cumin powder: 1 teaspoon
Black Pepper powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Salt: 1/4 teaspoon
Water: 3 cups.

Preparation:

Wash and soak Kokum into 2 cups of hot water for about 3-4 hours. Coarsely Blends the soaked kokum, pass through sieve, keep aside.

Method:

Take a heavy bottom pan; put hokum paste and sugar, dissolve sugar completely on lower flame (stir it in- between).
Further boil for 10-12 minutes on medium flame (stir occasionally or boil until it gets thicken as syrup consistency.
Turn off the flame add cumin powder, salt and black pepper powder, mix well.
Again pass the mixture through sieve, now Kokum Sarwat is ready to refrigerate & use as required.
Note: it stayed 2-3 months when it refrigerated.

How to serve:

Put 4-5 leaves of fresh mint leaves in a glass tumbler, 2-3 lemon wages, muddle slightly, add crushed ice.
Pour 2-3 tablespoon of syrup and chilled water as required quantity.
Enjoy the rowdy summer of Mumbai with traditional maharashtrian Sarwat…