KOKUM

As a souring agent, chiefly in Konkan and coastal cooking - solkadhi, fish curry, dals and cooling summer drinks. It gives a fruity sourness quite different from tamarind.

Soak two or three pieces in warm water for ten minutes and add both the rind and the soaking liquid towards the end of cooking. Remove the rind before serving if you prefer.

Kokum is fruitier and lighter, and it does not darken a dish the way tamarind does. It also has a faintly astringent edge that suits coconut-based gravies.

Airtight and dry, away from light. Properly dried kokum keeps for a year or more; it should stay pliable rather than turning brittle.

Kokum is often cured with salt during drying, which is traditional. Ask at the counter about the current batch if you are watching your salt intake.

Yes, it is used routinely in Konkan and coastal kitchens as the everyday souring agent, in much the same way tamarind is used elsewhere.

It is sun-dried and sorted rather than treated to look uniformly dark, and sold in small quantities so it stays pliable rather than drying out to brittle chips on a shelf.