Tag Archives: jaggery

Paanakam – The Energy Drink of South India

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The word Paanakam always reminds me of Sashti. Sashti is the sixth day of new moon and the sixth day of the full moon. Lord Murugan, the God of the Tamils is worshipped specially on Sashti day. Every month has its Sashti days. Lord Murugan is worshipped with special poojais in temples and people fast on those days. Skandha Sashti is the one of the biggest worship days of Lord Murugan, which falls in the month of Aippasi (October-November). It is Murugan defeating the demon Surapadhman or in simple terms – victory of good over evil. Murugan is also called Skandan, so this is skanda sashti!

The defeat of Suran by Lord Murugan is commonly known as Surasamharam – ofcourse a Sanskrit word. In Tamil, we call it Suran Thalai Vettu – colloquially. It actually means Chopping Suran’s Head.

The war is re-enacted in all six major Murugan temples – arupadai veedu- in tamil. Tiruchendhur, near my home towns Tirunelveli and Thoothukkudi is the shore temple where the battle is believed to have happened in pre-historic times. This temple and sashti are therefore very close to my heart. It is in Tiruchendhur that the fierce battle of the demon in various forms and Lord Murugan is re-enacted in a very big scale. http://murugan.org/temples/tiruchendur2.htm

Skanda Sashti Day falls on 31st October 2011.

Not getting into too many religious notes, Skanda Sashti Viradham or Fast always ends with Paanakam – the Lemon and Jaggery energy drink. The fast lasts for six days, starting from the first day of the new moon in the tamil month of Aippasi – starting mostly on the day after Deepavali. Having just one meal of rice and coconut chutney and fruits as breakfast and banana and milk for dinner, I used to very religiously observe viradham/fast when in school. The elders would have a stricter fasting rule. Paanakam also used to be my thirst quencher at school. The sixth day would go without any meal and just fruits and liquids with jaggery – coffee with jaggery and no sugar allowed.  At night, the time when ‘surasamharan – the defeat’ is completed at Tiruchendhur temple, we would do special poojai for Murugan at home in Chennai, and have a cold shower – a compulsory hair wash – then open the fast with Paanakam. The hair wash symbolises getting rid of all evil physically and mentally – with the defeat of the demon. The Paanakam specially at that moment, would taste like real amutham – the nectar of the Gods – running down cool into the starving tummy! This is supposed to be an instant energy drink specially after a fast.

It doesn’t mean we start having our meal after Paanakam. It is only Paanakam and fruits for the night. After defeating the demon, Lord Murugan marries Devayanai the next day – it is called the Thirukkalyanam – or the sacred marriage. After six days of fasting, every family has a feast on Lord Murugan’s marriage – with six kinds of mixed rice delicacies – Kalavai Saadham or Viragina Saatham which literally means mixed rice. Some also call it Chitrannam. Lemon Rice, Tamarind Rice, Coconut Rice, Ven Pongal (salted rice and lentil), Sarkkarai Pongal (sweetened jaggery rice) and seasoned yoghurt rice are the six varieties – some might also substitute with other mixed rice varieties (would be posted shortly). We wait for the morning to come, have a hair wash – the auspicious day being the wedding day – stand in for the poojai – and just get ready to have the special wedding feast meal on Banana leaf! (For more on Banana Leaf Meal read – https://dosaikal.com/2011/10/14/thamizhar-virundhu-feast-of-the-tamils/)

Belief in God or No belief in God – doesn’t matter..   The culture of accepting Gods to be one in the family and feeling oneself part of HIS family just fascinates me!

Now to Paanakam! Not only on special occasions, this drink can be had anytime, anywhere.

Paanakam

 

the south indian lemonade!

 

Ingredients (makes 2 glasses) 

  • vellam- powdered/grated jaggery – 1/2 cup
  • elumicham pazham/juice of one lemon
  • Elakkai podi/cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp
  • chukku podi/dry ginger powder – 1/2 tsp
  • salt – a pinch
  • water – as required

 

 

Method of Preparation

  1. Dissolve jaggery in water
  2. Strain the liquid for mud in jaggery
  3. Mix cardamom powder and dry ginger powder
  4. Add the lemon juice
  5. Add a pinch of salt
  6. Check for taste and add water if required
  7. Add more jaggery or lemon juice as preferred
  8. Paanakam is ready.

Note:

  1. Jaggery provides glucose and therefore the body gets instant energy
  2. Cardamom powder re-vitalises the taste buds
  3. Dry ginger induces hunger; It also helps in digestion, especially after a fast
  4. I have used palm jaggery instead of sugarcane jaggery
  5. More on sugarcane jaggery and palm jaggery – read https://dosaikal.com/2011/08/26/aval-sarkkarai-pongal-rice-flakes-jaggery-pongal/.
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Adai Pradhaman/ Ada Pradhaman

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I have always felt jaggery based sweets are more traditional… might be because special occasions are marked by those made of jaggery. Pongal is celebrated with sarkkarai pongal which is sweetened by jaggery. Diwali though not a traditional tamil festival, is marked by adhirasam which is again made of jaggery. Or more so because, in today’s world everyone prefers making the comparatively easier sugar based sweets to the time-consuming  jaggery based sweets.

Adai pradhaman is one such sweet. Though it is more popular as a kerala payasam or kheer, the people of tirunelveli district of tamilnadu, having proximity geographically to kerala also prepare this payasam. When we were young, adai – flakes of cooked rice – the base of this payasam was not available in shops in chennai. My grandmother used to send from tirunelveli where it was made in bulk. In kerala, it is made fresh for the payasam.  Nowadays it is very easily available in packets in most of the indian shops even if we live abroad.

Till today, I believe adai pradhaman is the most heavenly and divinely of all payasams! The smell of adai or flakes of cooked rice, cooked in jaggery, and coconut milk added slowly would travel around the house… not to leave the cashewnuts fried in ghee poured on top of it.  Another payasam to come close to this would be paasi paruppu payasam/ dehusked green gram (moong dhal) payasam (recipe shortly).

Unlike Kerala where adai pradhaman is a festival sweet, in tamilnadu or more specifically tirunelveli, it is prepared for guests and special occasions. Sometimes it used to be a sunday special and I used to be so delighted to have tirunelveli special in chennai! Now to the recipe..

This recipe needs thin – 3rd milk, medium thick – 2nd milk and creamy thick – 1st milk of coconut to be added gradually in the rice flakes cooked in jaggery. Here, I have minimised work by using canned coconut milk.

 

Adai Pradhaman

Ingredients

  • adai/flakes of cooked rice – 200 gms
  • vellam/jaggery – 400 gms
  • coconut milk – 1 can – 200 gms
  • ghee – 2 tbsp
  • cashewnuts – 12 no. halved
  • cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp
  • dry ginger powder – 1/2 tsp

the humble Nut

 

palm jaggery might give a darker colour to the payasam

 

cooking adai

 

jaggery might have impurities

 

 

 Method of Preparation

  1. Boil water in a big utensil
  2. Always add adai to boiling water as these  flakes might stick to the bottom of the utensil if water is cold
  3. Adai should be completely immersed in water and there should be enough water to cook the adai 
  4. When it is cooked soft, drain and wash in cold water 
  5. In a separate pan, take jaggery and 1 cup of water
  6. When jaggery is melted, filter it
  7. Cook adai in filtered jaggery in a hard bottomed wide cooking pan
  8. After about seven minutes add half the canned coconut milk
  9. Simmer for five minutes. If the payasam tends to thicken, little water can be added to adjust the consistency. This thickening might be due to the thick canned milk. Mostly this doesn’t happen when thin and medium thick 3rd or 2nd milk is gradually added
  10. Add cardamom powder and dry ginger powder and mix well
  11. Now add the remaining coconut milk and let it cook for another five minutes
  12. Payasam is done. Turn off the stove
  13. Fry cashewnuts till golden brown in ghee and pour it on the adai pradhaman
  14. Tastes best when served on a banana leaf. Tackle it with all five fingers and palm to send it to the taste buds of the tongue.  

 

Adai Pradhaman

 

Aval Sarkkarai Pongal/ Rice Flakes Jaggery Pongal

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Aval in tamil, poha in hindi and rice flakes in english is also called flattened rice or beaten rice. This is an easily digestible snack as well as a whole meal. Aval can be soaked in water or milk to make it softer. When soaked it swells to nearly double the quantity. It can be an evening snack with sugar or jaggery or a breakfast dish in the form of uppuma or even aval dosai/dosa.  When I host, I make aval sarkkarai pongal as a dessert served hot.

aval

 

Vellam/Gud or Jaggery is a traditional unrefined whole cane sugar. It is considered healthier than refined sugar since it retains more mineral salts (Wikipedia). It contains various essential amino acids, minerals and vitamins of the sugarcane juice and is also high on calcium which is required for maintenance of bone strength. Being rich in iron, it prevents diseases like anemia and also contains essential nutrients like magnesium and potassium. Magnesium is vital for the proper functioning of the nervous system and potassium regulates blood pressure and heart functions. (www.agriculturalproductsindia.com)

Karuppatti is another form of unrefined sugar made from palm sap. It is darker in colour than vellam and is traditionally considered healthier. I remember when we went to our grandparents’ house for vacation, elders use to have karuppatti kaapi/palm jaggery coffee or kadunkaapi or black coffee with palm jaggery.

In these fast paced modern days, usage of vellam or karuppatti is reduced to desserts. There is a real health need to go back to the old tradition of using jaggery in our day-to-day eating habits.

vellam and karuppatti

 

Aval Sarkkarai Pongal (serves 2)

Aval Sarkkarai Pongal is rice flakes or poha halwa made with jaggery. Palm jaggery or karuppatti can also be used.

Ingredients

  • aval/poha/rice flakes – 1 cup (thicker variety)
  • vellam/gud/jaggery – 3/4 cup (grated)
  • grated ginger – 1/2 tsp
  • ghee/clarified butter –  4 tbsp
  • cashew nuts – 2 tbsp
  • cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp
  • freshly grated coconut – 1/2 cup

Method of Preparation

  1. Wash aval two or three times, soak in water for 20 minutes and strain the water away
  2. Heat vellam/jaggery with 1/4 cup water and let jaggery dissolve
  3. Add grated ginger to jaggery and make a medium thick pouring syrup
  4. Strain the syrup
  5. Heat a pan with 2 tbsp ghee and add jaggery syrup and flattened rice
  6. Stir till aval soaks in all water and the syrup is well coated on the aval
  7. Add freshly grated coconut and stir till it mixes well
  8. Add cardamom powder
  9. Fry cashew nuts in 2 tbsp ghee
  10. Pour it over the finished aval pongal and mix well.

aval sarkkarai pongal

Some useful tips

  1. Dissolving jaggery in water and straining helps in removing sand or other impurities from jaggery
  2. Boiling grated ginger helps the juice and spice of ginger to get into the syrup; dry ginger powder can also be added
  3. Straining the jaggery syrup is done after boiling it with ginger so that ginger doesn’t come in the pongal
  4. 250gms jaggery with 2 tsp grated ginger or dry ginger powder and 1/2 cup water, can be boiled, strained and stored in the fridge for even 3 months.
  5. This syrup can be used for other jaggery based desserts and also as a substitute for white sugar in juices or porridges
  6. Thinner variety flattened rice would give halwa consistency easily; the thicker variety is useful to have a coarse texture – One can choose as the family prefers
  7. This pongal I have made is coarse in texture – Hence, a metal ladle is preferred. Wooden spatulas might mash the aval too much
  8. Thinner variety aval need not be soaked for more time
  9. Usage of coconut and ghee can always be altered.