Every June the kokum arrives from the Konkan in sacks, dried black and sticky. We soak it overnight and squeeze it into the fish curry, the dal and the cooler on the drinks list.
Kokum is gentler than tamarind. It sours without sharpening, and it turns a coconut gravy the colour of a monsoon sunset.
At home: soak four pieces in warm water for twenty minutes, then add the water and the fruit to your curry in the last ten minutes of cooking.