Kokum Rasam is a deliciously tangy, sweet and spicy dish, a southern Indian delicacy that leaves you wanting for more. The spiciness from chilies and tanginess of kokum, mildly sweetened with jaggery gives this rasam a refreshing flavor. Not to forget the health benefits of Kokum, which makes this recipe extremely healthy.
What is Kokum?
Kokum belongs to the Mangosteen family, and this fruit has a sweet and sour taste. It is native to the coastal regions of southern India, only used in regional cuisines of the western side of Southern India, Maharashtra & Gujarat. Kokum fruit is dark purple in color and is halved, and then sun-dried. Kokum is well known for its refreshing and cooling effects along with medicinal benefits, especially consumed to beat the summer heat. It is also used as substitute for tamarind.
It is available in Indian stores and typically sold as kokum extract or sun-dried kokum. Sun-dried kokum fruit has a long shelf life and lasts for years.
This Kokum rasam recipe known as ‘Punarpuli Saaru’ is regional to coastal Karnataka and it is our family favorite. My mom always makes this in summer often including Kokum juice and Kokum Thambli. Here we go with yet another dish from mom’s recipe collection 🙂
Relish this with a bowl of hot rice or as a soup!
How to make Kokum Rasam|Punarpuli Saaru?
Ingredients that you need to make this recipe –
- Sun-dried Kokum or Kokum syrup
- Green chilies
- jaggery or brown sugar
- salt
- cumin
- red chilies
- pepper
- ghee or oil
- Asafoetida
- curry leaves
- cilantro
- lemon (optional)
This is a very simple recipe with few basic steps.
Wash and clean the dried kokum, soak in boiling hot water for 20-30 mins.
Gentle squeeze the peels to extract the juice. Strain it to a pan.
Heat extracted juice along with water. Add slit green chillies, pepper, jaggery and salt. Bring it to boil. Simmer for 5-10 mins.
Prepare the tempering. heat a tsp of ghee add cumin, asafoetida, curry leaves, and red chillies.
Once curry leaves are crisp, take it out off flame and season the rasam.
Serve hot with rice or enjoy it as a soup!
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Kokum Rasam|Punarpuli saaru
Kokum Rasam is a deliciously tangy, sweet and spicy dish, a southern Indian regional delicacy that leaves you wanting for more
- 5-6 dried kokum
- 2 cups water
- 2 green chillies
- 1-2 tbsp jaggery (// add more if needed)
- salt to taste
- handful of cilantro
- sprinkles of lemon (//optionals)
- pinch of pepper
Tempering
- 1 tsp ghee (// use coconut oil for vegan option)
- 6-8 curry leaves
- 1 tsp cumin
- pinch of asafoetida
- 2 red chillies
- Wash and clean the dried kokum, soak in boiling hot water for 20-30 mins. Gentle squeeze the peels to extract the juice. Strain it to a pan.
- Heat extracted juice along with water. Add slit green chillies, pepper, jaggery and salt. Bring it to boil. Simmer for 5-10 mins.
- Prepare the tempering. heat a tsp of ghee add cumin, asafoetida, curry leaves and red chillies. Once curry leaves are crisp, take it out off flame and season the rasam.
- Serve hot with rice or enjoy it as a soup!
- Kokum is tangy, so adjust the amount of jaggery and salt per your taste
- This can be added to buttermilk and relished as kokum flavored buttermilk
- Add few drops of lemon if you like it tangier
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you. Leave a comment below or share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #harshrurecipes.
Happy cooking!
Eateries Delightful 