Kokum Slush - Home Bar

Abot Kokum

The kokum is native to the western coastal regions of southern India and is rarely seen beyond this area. Even in India it is used only in the regional cuisines of Gujarat Maharashrta and several southern states where large glasses of kokum sherbet are downed during parched summer months. In this region the sweltering heat demands refrigerant (cooling) ingredients in food and drink. Kokum is well known to counteract the heat

Other Names
black kokum, cocum, kokam, kokum butter tree, mangosteen oil tree
French: cocum
German: Kokam
Italian: cocum
Spanish: cocum
Indian: kokam, kokum


Value:

· Kokum fruits contain rich amounts of anti-oxidants that bind with free radicals and prevent oxidative damage to body cells. They also promote cell regeneration and repair.

· Kokum juice is especially popular during scorching summer months as it has a cooling effect on the body and shields the body against dehydration and sunstroke. It also helps in bringing down fever and allergic reactions.

· Kokum seeds contain a high percentage of oil that freezes to form Kokum butter. Kokum butter is extensively used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry as it works wonders on dry, chapped, sensitive, irritated or burnt skin.

· Kokum butter is rapidly gaining popularity over cocoa butter as an intensive skin moisturizer.

· Due to its soothing and healing properties, it is also applied directly to wounds and infected areas on the skin.

· Kokum butter is rich in healthy fats like stearic and oleic acids and can also be used as edible oil.

· Extracts from the Kokum fruit are traditionally used to relieve gastric problems like acidity, flatulence, constipation and indigestion.

· Kokum juice is a healthier and far more refreshing option as compared to commercial bottled drinks. It acts as an appetite stimulant and also has anti-helmintic properties.

· Ayurvedic medicine also uses Kokum infusions to treat piles, dysentery and infections. Kokum is known to strengthen the cardio-vascular system and stabilize liver function.

· The hydroxycitric acid present in the fruit fights cholesterol and curbs lipogenesis, thus aiding weight loss.


So next time you are in an Indian store just grab a bottle of Kokum syrup and try this out !!!!


  Ingredients

1 1/2  cup Kokum Syrup

2 Tsp Black salt

2 Tsp roasted cumin powder

8 Tbsp Sugar

3 cups Crushed ice

Garnishing

2Tbsp Mint - finely Chopped

OR

4Tbsp Pomegranate kernels

Blend kokum syrup, roasted cumin powder, black salt, sugar and crushed ice in a blender until slushy

Pour into stemmed glasses and serve decorated with a sprinkling of pomegranate kernels / mint

Serve immediately

Note: This makes 4 glasses, so you can add subtract ingredients according to the measurements you want 

Telba (Ethiopian flaxseed beverage)

Telba (Ethiopian flaxseed beverage)

Source: http://www.whats4eats.com/recipes.r_bevtelba.html

Serving 4-6

1 cup Flaxseed
6 cup Water
1 to 2 T Honey

Heat a cast-iron skillet over low heat. Add flaxseed and dry roast, stirring for about 5-10 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool. Place flaxseed in a spice grinder and grind to a powder.  Sieve into a bowl. Add water and stir.  Let set for about 10-20 minutes to allow solids to settle out.  Strain into a pitcher. Add honey and chill.

Notes: Telba Firfit: Mix telba with broken up pieces of injera bread and heat. Serve as a side dish. Telba is a mild laxative

Ethiopian Cuisine -Injera

Hey Guys.........Hope you had a lovely long weekend...just as I did by visiting the Capital and it was great doing nothing apart from trying various cuisines and sight seeing, Our friend at D.C eats out on a daily basis and had the top picks for us.....So today I am posting in one of the never ever tasted before cuisine I had

Ethiopian cuisine characteristically consists of spicy vegetable and meat dishes, usually in the form of wat (or wot), a thick stew, served atop injera, a large sourdough flatbread, which is about 50 centimeters (20 inches) in diameter and made out of fermented teff flour ( which is the base of the vegetables in the picture above, Apart from the base they also give a couple of them rolled up for the meal) 
Ethiopians eat with their right hands, using pieces of injera to pick up bites of entrées and side dishes. 

Teff Flour:


The word teff is thought to have been derived from the Amharic word teffa which means "lost," due to small size of the grain and how easily it is lost if dropped. It is the smallest grain in the world, measuring only about 1/32 of an inch in diameter and taking 150 grains to weigh as much as one grain of wheat. The common English names for teff are teff, lovegrass, and annual bunch grass.
This whole grain is high in protein, carbohydrates, and fiber. It also has a great amino acid profile, including all 8 essential amino acids (the building blocks of the human body). This means its protein is high quality, like milk or meat. It is also rich in calcium and iron. It is free of sugar, too, meaning it has no sugar content



Teff Injera Recipe


1 lb - of Teff Flour
3 cups of luke warm water
1 teaspoon of yeast *

In a bowl take in teff flour with 3 cups of water along with 1 teaspoon of yeast, mix well with hand


Set aside overnight for fermentation to take place.


Once fermented , mix well 

Preheat pan, and leave on low fire


Take a laddle ful of the fermented dough and pour in a circular motion, same as a pancake


Cook it from one side only, takes about 2 minutes.


Remove injera carefully and set aside on a plate to cool down before eating.


* If this is your first batch of injera, use the teaspoon of yeast; but if you plan to make injera regularly, then save about 3 soup spoons of the mix for your next injera. This will act as a self rising yeast on your next batch of injera; save it in your fridge it will stay for over a month. This is the same process of saving some of your current dough for your next batch of sour dough cakes or cookies