Kokum Sherbet
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A thirst quencher and a perfect coolant to beat the summer heat with amazing health benefits. Kokum Juice or Sherbet is tangy yet sweet and has warm spices added to it to give a unique and refreshing flavor.
What is Kokum?
Kokum is also known as the Garcinia Indica plant, and is native to the Western Ghats region of India. It belongs to the Mangosteen family and is usually sold dried. Its sour to taste and often replaces Tamarind in many dishes.
The kokum peel is rich in nutrients including anthocyanins, garcinol, and hydroxycitric acid. In fact, studies also suggest that hydroxycitric acid (HCA) can help suppress appetite, increase energy, and boost the metabolism, resulting in weight loss. A powerhouse of antioxidants, the kokum rind is rich in anthocyanins, a class of flavonoids that help mitigate free radical damage. It’s also consists of garcinol, which neutralizes free radicals and is good for your skin.
Health Benefits of Kokum:
Lets get down to a few health benefits of kokum.
- Could prevent degenerative diseases. Studies indicate that garcinol has the potential to suppress pro-inflammatory enzymes, thus preventing dementia, cancer and heart disease.
- It regulates blood sugar levels. Consuming kokum juice is said to help reduce the rate of oxidation as well as improve metabolism. This in turn can help counter the ill-effects of diabetes.
- Kokum is one of the best natural coolants for the body.
- Kokum juice and kokum curry helps in digestion and improves the appetite.
- Kokum is rich in vitamin c and is an antioxidant.
- Kokum is also used to treat heat rash. I remember my mom rubbing the kokum on the heat rash which we would get as kids.
Whew! That was more than a few 😁. In US, Kokum is available in dried form on amazon.com or at Indian stores. Lets get to the recipe then.
Kokum Sherbet
Course: DrinksCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy15
minutes15
minutes2
hoursA perfect drink to beat the summer heat.
Ingredients
Dry kokum – 1 cup
Sugar/Monk fruit sweetener – 1/4th cup
Water – 3 cups
Black Salt – 1 tsp
Fennel seeds powder – 1/2 tsp
Method
- Soak the dry kokum in water for at least one or two hours. Now, squeeze it and strain the water just like how we extract tamarind juice from tamarind.
- Add the residue kokum in a pan along with sugar (depends on how much sweetness you want), roasted cumin powder and black salt. You can use monk fruit sweetener in place of sugar.
- Cook on low until sugar melts. Add the kokum water in the pan and bring the mixture to a boil and cook for five minutes. Remove, cool down and strain the mixture.
- Store in a jar and refrigerate.
- Use two spoons of this mixture to a glassful of water to make sherbet. Serve it chilled and enjoy!
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