Kokum
A dried purple-black fruit rind from the Konkan coast that gives mild sourness and a pink tint.
Also: garcinia indica, amsul, punarpuli, kudampuli
Kokum is the fruit of Garcinia indica, a tree of India's western coast. The rind is dried and turns dark purple, leathery and sticky, and it is used to sour fish curries, dal and coconut dishes in Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka. It makes a cooling summer drink, the sherbet of Konkan houses, and the seeds yield a hard butter used in cooking and cosmetics. Kokum is gentler and less acid than tamarind and lends dishes a rosy colour. It is sold as dried petals or as concentrate. Add the rind to the pot whole and remove it at the end.