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Konkan's love for kokum...

...is unmatched by any other region's. Yogesh Pawar gives you a taste of a variety of sol kadhis while dishing out stunning nuggets of history

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Left: Thali with tadka in sol kadhi Right: Untempered sol kadhi and fish. (vegrecipesofindia.com and Sameer Salvi)
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The West coast may have a lot to offer, but what is it without the omnipresent coconut? For thousands of years, the sweetness of thickened coconut milk has had its perfect foil in fiery chillies and the tang of kokum that not only livens up fish curries, but also the regular dal. Yet, nowhere is kokum as integral to a cuisine as in the Konkan, where its extract is used to concoct at least five variants of sol kadhi. From the minimal use of coconut in the dark, violet-pink sol kadhi of north Konkan to increased use as we travel south, the sol kadhi turns almost blush pink by the time it reaches Sawantwadi town close to Goa's border. There it also sees infusion of finely ground green chillies, garlic and ginger.

Mangalore-based history teacher and chef, Zâbel Coelho points out that "though much appreciated, sol kadhi makes a guest appearance on the Goan thali, where the fried fish and fish curry vie for attention. By the time you cross into Pernem in north Goa, it becomes fiery and gets some tadka as it takes centre stage to be mixed with steaming hot rice, instead of curry, to be wolfed down even with dried fish in the monsoon months when fresh sea fish is hard to get".

But we are getting ahead in our story. Let's first talk about the kokum, a member of the mangosteen family of Clusiaceae (botanically, Garcinia indica) found in the Western Ghats. Ten of its cousins found in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and the North East are also included in their respective hyperlocal cuisines. Any self-respecting Malayali will swear by the kokum's Kerala cousin, kudampulli (Garcinia cambogia found around the equatorial belt in Africa and Asia) that enjoys its pride of place in Malabar cuisine. But it's kokum that monopolises cooking from Kasargod, northwards to the Gulf of Kham-bhat in Gujarat.

"While Mangalore still largely prefers tamarind over kokum in most seafood (surmai, bangda or sardine) curries, Saraswats, and other Konkani speaking communities have always preferred kokum," points out Coelho, adding that, "The different souring agent, as much a matter of economy as caste, gives their food a distinctively unique feel. Despite being, in a sense overwhelmed by typical Manglorean cooking and borrowing a lot in use of spices from them, the migrants' cuisine has held its own ever since they fled religious persecution by early Portuguese missionaries."

A history post-graduate, Coelho explains how after creation of Goa Inquisition, the first inquisitors, Aleixo Dias Falcão and Francisco Marques, forbid practice of Hinduism on pain of death. "From 1560 to 1774, over 15,000 were tried by Inquisition tribunals. Sometimes all it took as evidence of them secretly practicing their pre-conversion religion (Hinduism), was what they used as souring agent. Anyone found using kokum over vinegar (an acquired taste) could be tried and killed, often by burning them publicly to death."

Thriving well in forests, riversides, wastelands and rain-deficient areas alike, kokum doesn't require much in terms of irrigation, pesticides and fertilisers. Little wonder then that it was used by the Harappans. "Navinal, Dholavira and Bagasra sites in Gujarat have revealed how its locals included grains, meat and seafood in their diet; kokum was their choice of souring agent," says Singapore-based food anthropologist Rukhsana Balachander.

Ayurveda has traditionally looked up to this rich anti-oxidant that aids the cure of, and prevents, various ailments such as piles, heat stroke, tumour, allergic rashes, etc. making sol kadhi a tasty panacea and coolant rolled into one.

Tempered Sol Kadhi

For sol kadhi:
10 - 12 kokums
2 cups water
1 - 1.5 cups thick coconut milk
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
Sea salt to taste

For tempering:
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
A pinch of asafoetida

4-5 garlic cloves
2-3 dry kashmiri red chilies
1/2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsps of fresh coriander leaves

Method: Soak kokums in a cup of water for 30 minutes. Crush, squeeze well by hand and add the remaining water to the rich pink-violet kokum extract. Now add coconut milk and salt to taste. Stir gently and set aside.

Next, to prepare the tempering, heat coconut oil in a small kadhai. When hot, throw in the mustard seeds, letting them splutter. Then add cumin and allow it to crackle. Add garlic, asafoetida, red chillies and curry leaves. Let it heat for a few moments, pour it onto the sol kadhi and quickly cover with lid trapping the fumes within. Garnish with the coriander leaves just before serving with steaming hot rice.

Untempered Sol Kadhi

10 - 12 kokums
2 cups water
1 - 1.5 cups thick coconut milk
2 sharply spicy green chillies
2 - 3 cloves garlic
1/4 inch ginger (skinned and diced)
1 tsp roasted cumin
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
Sea salt to taste

Method: Soak the kokums in water for half an hour. Crush, squeeze well by hand and add remaining water to the rich pink-violet kokum extract. Now add coconut milk stirring gently. Add salt to taste and put aside while preparing the masala.

In a grinder, make a fine paste of the green chillies, garlic, ginger and cumin, adding a few tablespoons of the sol kadhi to it, to get the right consistency. Once prepared, add to the remaining sol kadhi and set it to chill. When serving in tall glasses, garnish with coriander.

Sol Kadhi without Coconut

15 - 20 kokums
4 cups water
1 tsp roasted cumin (freshly, finely powdered)
2 green chillies
2 - 3 cloves of garlic
1/4 inch ginger (skinned and diced).
Sea salt to taste

Method: Soak the kokums in the water for half an hour. Crush, squeeze well by hand and add remaining water to the rich pink-violet kokum extract. Now add cumin powder, the coarsely ground mix of green chillies, garlic and ginger mix, and salt to taste. Mix well and add water to adjust sourness and consistency.

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