Amla & Kokum

Kokum is the dried rind of a purple fruit from the Konkan coast and Goa, related to the Sri Lankan goraka. Soaked in water, it releases a deep pink-purple colour and a gentle sourness. It is used in fish curries, in Gujarati dal and kadhi, and in solkadhi, the pink coconut milk drink served after a Malvani meal. Alu bukhara are dried sour plums, dark and chewy, used in Pakistani and Hyderabadi biryani, in chutneys and in Kashmiri cooking. Amla, the Indian gooseberry, is very sour when fresh, and is often preserved as candy, sweet or spiced.

Use kokum where you might use tamarind, adding two or three pieces to a curry and removing them before serving. For kokum sherbet, soak the rind, strain, and sweeten with sugar and a pinch of roasted cumin. Add two or three alu bukhara to the rice layers of a biryani for little bursts of sweet sourness, or simmer them with sugar and spices into a chutney. Amla candy is eaten as it is, a small handful after a meal, and the spicy version has a pleasing salt and chilli kick.

Kokum darkens and hardens with age but keeps its flavour; store it in a sealed jar away from light. Amla candy keeps best in an airtight tin. Find these under dried fruit beside dates and raisins and sultanas, and see also tamarind and goraka for more souring agents and biryani masala.