Solkadi recipe with step by step video instructions. Goan Solkadi / Malvan Solkadhi is a refreshing savory drink made from aamsol or dried kokum peel and fresh coconut milk. Kokum kadi can be served as a curry along with rice or as a beverage. This recipe is vegan, gluten-free and suits a Jain diet.
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Solkadi is almost SOUL-Kadhi for the folks on the Konkan Coast of India. This sour pink drink with the creaminess of coconut milk and the spicy flavor of garlic and chilli is a must-have at the lunch table.
Kokum, a member of the mangosteen family, is indigenous to the Western Ghats. The fruit is used in 2 main ways - to make Kokum juice and to make Aamsol.
To make the Kokum juice, a glass jar is filled with the fresh fruit and sugar is added. The glass jar is covered and placed in the sun until the fruit dissolves into the sugar to yield a thick syrupy reddish purple color concentrate. And this juice is delicious!!! I buy the squash every year when I go to Mangalore.
To make aamsol or solan, the outer cover of the fruit is removed and is sun dried until completely dry. This is extremely sour and is used abundantly as a souring agent in cooking along the Konkan coast. The aamsol imparts a beautiful dark reddish purple color to the food where it is used. Aamsol is packaged and sold in grocery stores or in supermarkets. I was lucky to get two home dried batches - one from my sister's friend from Karwar and another from my husband's aunt. Both these impart a very rich color.
Over time, aamsol, tends to lose its color. Old aamsol will give you a brown color as opposed to the reddish-purple color. To keep aamsol fresh for longer and to retain the color, freeze it.
The aamsol is soaked in hot water and left to release its color and flavor, while you prepare the fresh coconut milk. You can use store-bought coconut milk too, but the fresh one tastes better. The coconut milk can be flavored with garlic or ginger, I've also heard of it being flavored with onions. Goans usually use garlic and I love the taste. You can leave it plain too.
To make the coconut milk, grind the freshly grated coconut with garlic and a few green chillies for spice. Add water and pulse for about a minute. Squeeze the pulp to extract the milk. Add water to the squeezed pulp and massage it to release more milk. Squeeze again to extract the milk. You can do this one or two more times. I recommend stopping at the third press, else, the coconut milk becomes very thin and loses its creaminess. Strain the coconut milk to remove any pulp that may have accidentally gotten in.
Take the coconut milk in a large bowl, and add the vibrant water in which the aamsol was soaked by the spoonfuls. The water is very sour, so keep tasting as you add the spoonfuls. Stop when desired. Add in salt and taste. If the sourness feels less after adding the salt, add more kokum water. It is more of a taste and go kind of recipe.
If the solkadi feels less sour, you can soak more kokum and after 10 minutes add more kokum water to the solkadi. If it feels too sour, add more coconut milk or plain water.
Solkadi is served as a curry with rice, but I love drinking it like buttermilk too. If you want it to be chilled, you can store it in the fridge until you are ready to serve. When coconut milk is refrigerated, the fat in it solidifies on the top, just whisk it well before serving.
Serve solkadi with rice and potato fry.
Details about Kokum
Kokum, a member of the mangosteen family, is indigenous to the Western Ghats. The fruit is used in 2 main ways - to make Kokum juice and to make Aamsol.
To make the Kokum juice, a glass jar is filled with the fresh fruit and sugar is added. The glass jar is covered and placed in the sun until the fruit dissolves into the sugar to yield a thick syrupy reddish purple color concentrate. And this juice is delicious!!! I buy the squash every year when I go to Mangalore.
To make aamsol or solan, the outer cover of the fruit is removed and is sun dried until completely dry. This is extremely sour and is used abundantly as a souring agent in cooking along the Konkan coast. The aamsol imparts a beautiful dark reddish purple color to the food where it is used. Aamsol is packaged and sold in grocery stores or in supermarkets. I was lucky to get two home dried batches - one from my sister's friend from Karwar and another from my husband's aunt. Both these impart a very rich color.
Over time, aamsol, tends to lose its color. Old aamsol will give you a brown color as opposed to the reddish-purple color. To keep aamsol fresh for longer and to retain the color, freeze it.
Back to the dish at hand - Solkadi.
The aamsol is soaked in hot water and left to release its color and flavor, while you prepare the fresh coconut milk. You can use store-bought coconut milk too, but the fresh one tastes better. The coconut milk can be flavored with garlic or ginger, I've also heard of it being flavored with onions. Goans usually use garlic and I love the taste. You can leave it plain too.
To make the coconut milk, grind the freshly grated coconut with garlic and a few green chillies for spice. Add water and pulse for about a minute. Squeeze the pulp to extract the milk. Add water to the squeezed pulp and massage it to release more milk. Squeeze again to extract the milk. You can do this one or two more times. I recommend stopping at the third press, else, the coconut milk becomes very thin and loses its creaminess. Strain the coconut milk to remove any pulp that may have accidentally gotten in.
Take the coconut milk in a large bowl, and add the vibrant water in which the aamsol was soaked by the spoonfuls. The water is very sour, so keep tasting as you add the spoonfuls. Stop when desired. Add in salt and taste. If the sourness feels less after adding the salt, add more kokum water. It is more of a taste and go kind of recipe.
If the solkadi feels less sour, you can soak more kokum and after 10 minutes add more kokum water to the solkadi. If it feels too sour, add more coconut milk or plain water.
Serving suggestions
Solkadi is served as a curry with rice, but I love drinking it like buttermilk too. If you want it to be chilled, you can store it in the fridge until you are ready to serve. When coconut milk is refrigerated, the fat in it solidifies on the top, just whisk it well before serving.
Serve solkadi with rice and potato fry.
If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family!
Video Recipe
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Solkadi Recipe | Kokum Kadhi Recipe | How to make Solkadhi
Solkadi or Solkadhi is a savory drink made from coconut milk and dried kokum peel. Solkadi is a popular drink from Goa and the Malvan region of Maharashtra. Solkadi is a sour drink that can either be served as a curry with rice or just as a refreshing drink.Recipe Type: Beverage
Cuisine: Goan, Malvan
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: Serves 3-4
Author: Anupama
Ingredients:
1 large Coconut
10-15 Kokum skins / Aamsol pieces
5-6 Garlic cloves
2-3 Green Chillies
3-4 cups Water
Salt to taste
Method:
1. Soak the aamsol in 1 cup of hot water.
2. Break the coconut and grate the flesh. Try to only get the white flesh, avoid grating the brown part that is closer to the shell.
3. Add the grated coconut to a blender or mixer along with the garlic and green chillies and add 1 cup of water.
4. Pulse the mixer for 30-45 seconds until the coconut releases its juices. Don't completely blend the coconut into a paste or chutney.
5. To squeeze out the coconut milk, you can empty the contents of the mixer onto a muslin cloth and squeeze it until all the juice is out, or you can take a little pulp in the hand and squeeze it to extract the milk. Sieve the juice to remove any pulp.
6. Do not discard the pulp.
7. After you have squeezed out all the pulp, you get the thick first press of coconut milk.
8. To make the thinner second press or more, add water to the pulp and massage it in.
9. Repeat the same process of squeezing out the milk as described above.
10. This is the thinner second press. You can continue to do it for further presses, although we recommend stopping at the third press.
11. Mix in the water the aamsol was soaked in by the spoonfuls. Aamsol is very sour, so add as per taste. Add in salt and mix well.
12. Serve chilled or at room temperature along with rice or just as a refreshing drink.
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