Kokum Cooking Notes:

Cuisine Indian, Malaysian, Thai

Food Pairings Soups, dals, fish, vegetable dishes, liquor, cutlets, salad dressing, sauces, rice dishes

Serving size 0.5 grams (if powdering) or 4 grams if using whole

Flavour: Fruity, Slight Sourness, Bay Leaf

Usage: Use 1 Kokum in slow cooked curry or lentils for a strong lime flavour. Remove before serving. Pairs well with low-fat dishes.

Recipe: Rasam (Spiced Indian Soup)

Kokum Technical Notes:

Origin: India

Quality*: Dry, Grade A, Hand Selected

Also known as Garcinia indica, KOKAM, COCUM, BHIRINDA, BHIRNDA, AAMSUL, कोकम, 燭果乾

Industry Knowledge Kokum is a fruit which is treated as a spice. It is used heavily in North-eastern Indian cuisine, and is also a highly adaptable spice. It is a slightly sour spice, with a unique taste. It can be used as a substitute for tamarind, while also providing a more herbal depth of flavour than tamarind. In various Indian cuisines, it is frequently used to add a sweet and tart note to food, often to balance flavours. It is most commonly used to make dals, soups, vegetable and fish stews, and other liquid-heavy dishes. Kokum is also popular in preparing sherbets and similar refreshing drinks.
In recent years, this spice has gained popularity in cosmetics, medicine and preparation of confectionaries such as cakes and ice creams. It is very similar to the Chinese Dried Mandarin Peel (Chun Pi). Due to it's age old history in both chinese and indian herbal remedies, it is starting to be scientifically researched as well. A recent pharmaceutical study found that Kokum extract decreases anxiety levels in mice, and may hold the same effect for humans too. Commercial research to find other health and skin benefits have also proven successful.

*INDUSTRY SPECIFIC TERMINOLOGY.