How to Make Kokum Sherbet (Kokum Juice)

So it’s a hot summer day and you crave a sour-sweet drink. Why not try kokum sherbet? Kokum trees (Garcinia indica) bear purple-coloured berries—although mostly native to the western coast and north-eastern part of India^{[1]
X
Research source}, they grow in some other areas of Asia and Africa, as well.^{[2]
X
Research source} Kokum has several health benefits, including helping prevent dehydration and sunstroke, and may also help increase immunity.^{[3]
X
Research source} Making kokum sherbet at home includes just a few easy-to-follow steps. In this wikiHow, we’ll cover a few simple methods to make kokum sherbet.

Ingredients

Kokum Sherbet from Fresh Kokum

1 cup fresh kokum^{[4]
X
Research source}
2 cup water^{[5]
X
Research source}
1 cup sugar^{[6]
X
Research source}
1 teaspoon cardamom powder^{[7]
X
Research source}
1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder^{[8]
X
Research source}
1 teaspoon black/rock salt^{[9]
X
Research source}^{[10]
X
Research source}

Kokum Sherbet from Dry Kokum

1 cup dry/semi-dry kokum^{[11]
X
Research source}
2 cup water^{[12]
X
Research source}
1 cup sugar^{[13]
X
Research source}
1 teaspoon cardamom powder^{[14]
X
Research source}
1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder^{[15]
X
Research source}
1 teaspoon black/rock salt^{[16]
X
Research source}^{[17]
X
Research source}

Kokum Sherbet from Store-Bought Syrup

1 cup water
2–3 tablespoons (6.0–9.0 tsp) kokum syrup
¹/₄ teaspoon salt (optional)
¹/₄ lemon (optional)
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

Makes 1 serving

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making Kokum Sherbet from Fresh Kokum

1
Wash your kokum. Before you get started, make sure you wash your kokum with regular or warm water to get rid of any soil, dirt, or debris on the surface.
2
Cut the kokum in half.^{[18]
X
Research source} You can cut it into smaller pieces if you’d like, but don’t cut it too small.
- You may consider using a large, sharp knife to do this.
Advertisement
3
Remove the pulp and seeds.^{[19]
X
Research source} Kokums have an outer cover with a much softer pulp inside with its seeds. While the outer cover of a kokum has a sourish-sweet taste, the inner pulp is generally sour^{[20]
X
Research source}—so you don’t want to use it in your sherbet. Use a spoon to gently scoop out the pulp inside along with the seeds.
- Consider composting the waste, or otherwise discarding it if that’s not possible.
4
Chop the outer cover of the kokum into small pieces.^{[21]
X
Research source} This step is completely optional, and you can keep it as-is if you’d prefer. But chopping it up may make it easier to blend.
5
Use a blender to make a paste. Pour the (chopped) kokum into a blender and turn it on at low to medium speed. Add in a little bit of water if necessary. Blend until smooth.^{[22]
X
Research source}
- Alternatively, you could use a fork to carefully crush the kokum. But keep in mind that a blender does a better job.
6
Heat sugar, water, cumin and cardamom powder, and salt in a pan. Take a non-stick pan and pour a cup of sugar, 2–3 cups of water, and a teaspoon of cardamom powder, roasted cumin powder and black/rock salt in it.^{[23]
X
Research source}^{[24]
X
Research source} Cover and let it cook on low heat for 5–10 minutes.^{[25]
X
Research source} Stir occasionally.
- Now add your kokum paste, and let it boil for another 2–5 minutes.^{[26]
  X
  Research source}
7
Let the mixture cool. Turn off the heat and get the pan off the stovetop. Let it cool down completely to room temperature.^{[27]
X
Research source}
- Once cool, consider using a strainer to strain the mixture if needed. This is optional, but you may want to do it if you want to remove any solid pieces.^{[28]
  X
  Research source}
- Your kokum concentrate is ready.
8
Refrigerate your kokum concentrate.^{[29]
X
Research source} This is optional, but recommended if you’d like to store it for a few days, or would like to enjoy a cool drink. Pour out the kokum mixture into a container. You can use any container for this—a bowl, a glass, a jug, whatever you’d like. Leave it in the refrigerator for at least a few hours.
9
Mix your kokum concentrate with chilled water. The general rule goes that you need to mix 2–3 tablespoons (6.0–9.0 tsp) of kokum concentrate per glass of water.^{[30]
X
Research source} Depending on how many servings of kokum concentrate you’ve prepared, add the required quantity of water and mix well.
- If you’d rather use regular water, that’s fine, too!
10
Enjoy your kokum sherbet! Consider serving with ice if you’d like.^{[31]
X
Research source}

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making Kokum Sherbet from Dry Kokum

1
Soak dry kokum in warm water for a few hours. First, gently rinse a cup of dry kokum with regular water to remove any soil, dirt, or debris on the surface. Then fill a bowl with 2 cups of warm water and put your dry kokum into it. Let it soak for about an hour or two.^{[32]
X
Research source}
2
Use a blender to make a paste.^{[33]
X
Research source} Pour the soaked kokum into a blender and turn it on at low to medium speed. Blend until smooth.
- Alternatively, you could use a fork to carefully crush the kokum.^{[34]
  X
  Research source} But keep in mind that a blender does a better job.
3
Heat sugar, water, cumin and cardamom powder, and salt in a pan. Take a non-stick pan and pour a cup of sugar, 2–3 cups of water, and a teaspoon of cardamom powder, roasted cumin powder and black/rock salt in it.^{[35]
X
Research source}^{[36]
X
Research source} Cover and let it cook on low heat for 5–10 minutes.^{[37]
X
Research source} Stir occasionally.
- Now add your kokum paste, and let it boil for another 2–5 minutes.^{[38]
  X
  Research source}
4
Let the mixture cool. Turn off the heat and get the pan off the stovetop. Let it cool down completely to room temperature.^{[39]
X
Research source}
- Once cool, consider using a strainer to strain the mixture if needed. This is optional, but you may want to do it if you want to remove any solid pieces.^{[40]
  X
  Research source}
- Your kokum concentrate is ready.
5
Refrigerate your kokum concentrate.^{[41]
X
Research source} This is optional, but recommended if you’d like to store it for a few days, or would like to enjoy a cool drink. Pour out the kokum mixture into a container. You can use any container for this—a bowl, a glass, a jug, whatever you’d like. Leave it in the refrigerator for at least a few hours.
6
Mix your kokum concentrate with chilled water. The general rule goes that you need to mix 2–3 tablespoons (6.0–9.0 tsp) of kokum concentrate per glass of water.^{[42]
X
Research source} Depending on how many servings of kokum concentrate you’ve prepared, add the required quantity of water and mix well.
- If you’d rather use regular water, that’s fine, too!
7
Enjoy your kokum sherbet! Consider serving with ice if you’d like.^{[43]
X
Research source}

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making Kokum Sherbet from Store-Bought Syrup

1
Mix some kokum syrup with chilled water. The general rule stays the same—you need to mix 2–3 tablespoons (6.0–9.0 tsp) of kokum syrup per glass of water. Depending on how many servings of kokum concentrate you’re preparing, add the required quantity of water and mix well.
- If you’d rather use regular water, that’s fine, too!
2
Add some salt, lemon juice and extra sugar if you’d like.^{[44]
X
Research source} This is optional, but if you really want to add some extra taste to your kokum sherbet, mix in about ¹/₄ teaspoon salt, juice from ¹/₄ of a lemon and a teaspoon of sugar per glass of kokum sherbet. Keep in mind that the kokum syrup is already sour-sweet, so only add sugar if you want extra sweetness.
- Let’s say you're preparing 1 serving of kokum sherbet. Cut a lemon in four pieces, remove the seeds and squeeze one of the pieces in your kokum sherbet. Add in about ¹/₄ teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of sugar and mix well.
3
Refrigerate your kokum sherbet. This is completely optional, but if you’d like to enjoy a cool drink, and hadn't stored your kokum syrup in the refrigerator, you may consider this step. Leave it in for a few hours.
- If you had stored your kokum syrup in the refrigerator, and have used cool water in your sherbet, your drink will be cool anyway, so it’s perfectly fine to skip this step in such cases. Or if you’d rather not have something cool, then it’s fine to skip this step, too.
4
Enjoy your kokum sherbet! Consider serving with ice if you’d like.^{[45]
X
Research source}