Kokum Juice

 I picked up some kokum last summer. Truth be told, I didn't know what they were. I had never seen fresh kokum before.

Dried kokum is used as a souring agent in curries in the Konkan coast in India, and is also made into a juice that is perfect to beat the summer heat.

If you are a brave soul, you can try eating them raw with some salt (the flesh has some pits like Mangosteen that you can remove).

Another option is to collect all the flesh in a bowl. Mash it with your hands and soak it in a bowl of water for an hour. Then boil it adding some sugar till slightly stick. Put this through a strainer and discard the lumps. The resulting juice can be had with some salt and roasted cumin seeds.

The skin is also used for making juice and dried up, it can be used in curries as well.
Store the peels in a container with twice as much sugar. Keep the container in strong sunlight for a week. Make sure to shake the jar 2-3 times everyday. The resulting juice is a concentrate that can be mixed with some water, salt and roasted cumin seeds for a refreshing drink.

The peels can be dried further on a piece of paper where it will get direct sunlight. Once it is thouroughly dry, you can use it in fish curries or other Konkan delicacies. There are many recipes available online.