Solkadi

Solkadi / Sol Kadi / Kadhi is a refreshing lightly spiced, sweet and tangy no-cook coconut milk drink. It’s the famous drink of the Konkan region in India. Considered a digestive, it is drunk after meals or even poured over rice and eaten. It is quite refreshing otherwise too and will do you more good than drinking aerated beverages.

Serves: 4 to 6 Persons

Prep. Time: 20 Mins.

Ingredients:

[ Standard Measure : 1 cup = 250 ml ]

• Coconut (fresh, grated) – 1 ½ cups
• Kokum Agal [Kokum Extract] – 50 ml OR
  • Kokum Petals (alternative / wet) – 8 to 10 (see note below)
• Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp.
• Garlic – 4 to 6 cloves
• Ginger (peeled & chopped) – ½ inch
• Light Green Chillies (stemmed, broken) – 2 to 3
• Green Corriander (finely chopped) – 1 tbsp.
• Salt (alternative / see note)

Step 1:     Take the grated coconut, cumin, ginger, garlic and green chillies in a blender jar. Add 1 ½ cups clean drinking water and grind for 2 to 3 minutes. Strain using a fine sieve. Keep aside.

Step 2:     Put the strained leftover of the coconut back into the blender with another 1 ½ cups of drinking water and repeat Step 1 and strain (use a fine sieve) into the same bowl as the first time.

Step 3:     Take the kokum agal in another bowl. Sieve the spiced coconut milk using a coffee strainer or a muslin cloth ( to remove any tiny coconut particles, if they irritate your throat) and add to the kokum agal. Mix well. Garnish with corriander and served chilled.

Notes:

• If using kokum petals, soak them in ½ cup warm water for 15 to 20 minutes and then strain it to get the kokum extract.
• Kokum agal is not the same as kokum syrup. Kokum syrup has sugar in it, whereas kokum agal has salt. Kokum agal is also used for marinating fish.
• Kokum agal had added salt. So you do not need to add any salt to the solkadi. But if you’re using fresh kokum, use salt to taste.
• Prefer to use the agal because it is less hassle and gives the drink a nice colour.
• You can add more agal or water at the end to adjust the taste as per your liking.