Solkadhi....Kokani cuisine

Special occasions call for really special treats, don't they?..Its very very true that Certain occasions and festivals remind us of certain dishes and tastes..Our marriage reminds us of angur malai, my sis engagement reminds us of mango shrikhand and list continues...


SolKadhi-a pink colored appetizer drink made from the kokam fruit and Coconut Milk reminds me of my best friends marriage where I tried it for the first time..and really felt in love with it! Once you try it, Iam sure you’ll be hooked to this unique Indian drink recipe.

I have observed that every marriage that happens in pune is incomplete without this solkadhi...Really puneites are fond and blessed with this!

Day before yesterday my husband was so very happy that he got all the raw material from patel brothers and instructed me to prepare the same...He only haunted for recipe on net and came out with this one...He was so very excited to gulp it sooner that within no time he made maximum preparations and started with the recipe.

And when we tasted end product..amazing... it came out really fabulous...We thought we never attempted making solkadhi at pune and here we just made it easily!..Our joy knew no bounds...literally felt like great achievement...


Believe me it is very simple...and tastiest appetizer we ever tasted!..Looking at the kadhi only will make you refreshing...Indeed it is light, rejuvenating and divine in taste...It is a cooling drink with a light coconut base and a hint of kokum...made from dried outer rind of the kokum fruit, solkadhi is a very popular Konkani drink.Tangy with a hint of sweetness (from the coconut milk), its delicate flavour and what it does to the palate is very tough to describe in words.....this is something you need to drink to really appreciate.... Traditionally, it is served as an appetizer before meals, or as a digestive after a particularly heavy meal- no matter when you choose to have it, one thing is certain - the delicately tangy flavour of solkadhi will leave you craving for more!

This Summer Special SolKadhi is really made with heart and soul..And so, to me, this is absolute "soul" kadhi!!..It is a common dish across konkan belt in Maharashtra so also it is famous as malvani cuisine also!

You can enjoy it with steamed rice.It tastes awesome with moong dal khichadi too...So also it helps in food digestion. People also drink solkadhi after heavy food.

Yesterday when we had Solkadhi after our dinner we were literally in heaven...just fantabulous.

SolKadhi is also referred to Kokam curry... Kokam,also called as Garcinia Indica in scientific term,is dark purple or black in color...which is available readily at any indian store.

Kokam has great properties which is why it is beneficial for health. It is used for treating skin rashes, indigestion. It has cooling properties. In Ayurveda Kokam also controls pitta level in our body...so I suggest you to try this as it is very useful for our body...

Don’t just read this make it! I promise You will love this SolKadhi.I love the color, aroma and texture of Sol Kadhi. There are some more version of SolKadhi you can prepare it with tempering which is referred as saar in marathi or you can enjoy it without tempering...We just love the second version of it!

Now here we go with the recipe!

SOLKADHI

Ingredients:
Kokum - 8-10 petals, soaked in warm water for about 1 hour
Coconut milk - 200 ml,say entire tin that you will get in indian store
If you are going to use homemade coconut milk then you need entire coconut-extract milk from entire coconut.
Garlic - 2 cloves
Green chillies - 2
Salt - to taste (rock saltis mostly prefered)
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp, roasted and pound to a coarse powder
coriander leaves - for garnishing
Ghee-2 tsp(optional)
a generous pinch of hing/asfoetida
cumin seeds-1 tsp

Method:
1.Pound garlic and chillies finely together in mixie,add it to the coconut milk.
2.Strain the juice of the kokum or else you can grind kokum in mixie or blender,pass it through sieve..and then mix it to the coconut milk.
3.Season with rock salt and hing... Chill, garnish with coriander leaves and a pinch of the cumin seed powder and sip.
4.You can also opt for tempering prepared from ghee,hing and cumin seeds and pour it on solkadhi to enjoy it as saar with khichadi or plain rice...

Note for reference : Do check the balance of flavours - sol kadhi is not overwhelmingly sour, it has just that little hint of tanginess; it is not very coconutty either, so do keep that in mind when mixing the two.

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