Birinda Khadi Recipe, Kokum Solkadhi Without Coconut Milk (Futi Kadhi)

The famous Goan kokum solkadhi is made two ways. Using coconut milk and without using coconut milk. They are both served as an appetizer or are served as a drink at the end of every Goan meal. These kokum kadhi's are also had with rice as a curry. 

Kokum solkadhi made without coconut milk is also known as futi kadhi. An amazing drink that’s spicy, tangy, sweet, with an amazing freshness from fresh coriander. This spicy kokum drink is an excellent thirst quencher, one of the best drinks for hot Indian summers. It is refreshing, cooling and has an amazing cooling effects on your body. That way it helps you beat the stubborn summer heat.

Kokum khadi also has amazing health benefits due to high amounts of anti-oxidants present in kokum, which acts as an anti-aging, anti-carcinogenic agent. This kokum juice also has cleansing and digestive properties. The digestive properties this juice has, explains the reason why it is had at the end of every meal. So, plenty of reasons to make this delicious kokum drink. :-)

You can make this kokum drink using fresh kokum peels or using dried kokum peels. Fresh kokum are seasonal. Their peel is sun dried and preserved to be used throughout the year. To make this kokum juice using fresh kokum, grind the outer peel of fresh kokums and strain it to obtain kokum juice. Follow the rest of the steps as below. Below is the recipe to make a great kokum drink using dried kokum peels throughout the year. 

Kokum is also known as bhirand/bhirind in Konkani and hence this kadhi (means watery gravy in Konkani) is called as bhiranda/bhirinda kadhi in Konkani. Sol means peel in Konkani, as the kokum peels are used to make this kadhi, it’s called solkadhi. Birinda salli too means kokum peel in Konkani.

Traditional futi kadhi

Ingredients:

• 6-7 dried kokum peels
• 2.5 cups of water
• 2 green chillies
• 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh coriander
• Salt to taste
• 3-4 tablespoons of powdered jaggery/sugar 
• A pinch of asafoetida melted in water

Makes: 2.5 cups of juice

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Soaking Time: 20-25 minutes

Prepration Method:

1. Soak dried kokum peels in 2.5 cups of water for 20-25 minutes.
2. After the peels have got soaked for 20-25 minutes, squeeze them nicely using your hands in the water so that they give out all their juices into the water. 
3. Kokum peels continues to give out it's juice into the water, the more you soak it and the more you squeeze it. Once you have about 2.5 cups of concentrated kokum water, you can remove the peels off the water, give them a nice squeeze to drain any remaining kokum juice. Discard the kokum peels.
4. To this kokum juice, add smashed green chillies, chopped fresh coriander, powdered jaggery, salt, asafoetida melted in water and mix well until the jaggery dissolves.
5. Jaggery adds taste and balances the tanginess from kokum. Add jaggery, green chillies according to your palate. 
6. Serve kokum juice chilled or with ice cubes. Strain the juice if required before serving.

Side Note:

1. You can also make the above recipe using bottled kokum juice. If the bottled kokum juice is concentrated, then dilute it accordingly and if the store bought juice comes with added sugar then skip adding jaggery/sugar.

2. If you love experimenting, then try out this variation to the spicy kokum drink. Instead of asafoetida use cumin seeds in the above recipe. Grind cumin seeds and green chillies in a mixer, add it to kokum kadhi. Then strain the kokum kadhi before serving it.

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