Chattua Panaa ( The Vegan Version )

Panaa Sankranti or the Odia New year is marked by the consumption of the signature drink, 'Panna' . Cooling and refreshing, this traditional drink comes in many versions. Infact everyone I seem to know has their own 'secret little ingredient' for this drink. Little wonder that none of the ones I have sampled over the years has ever tasted alike.

My favorite panaa however is the 'Bael Panna', a light drink made with just 3 ingredients. Wood apple pulp, yogurt and sugar diluted with water, this has the most unique taste experience that one can come across. But since the fruit is not available easily outside Odisha, I end up making the 'Chaatua panna' or 'Aam panna' most of the times. But this summer, I have reduced my intake of the 'Aam panna' as it requires copious amounts of sugar.

With today being 'Panaa Sakranti' and me being caught up in one of those #govegan moods, I decided to try out a vegan version for the 'Chattua Panna'. Used some almond milk instead of using yogurt and chenna. And added a tiny amount of rose water to the concoction. Turned out to be super delicious and healthy too !!

Read on for recipe -

Ingredients -

• 3 tsp chattua ( roasted gram flour )
• 1 cup almond milk 
• 1 small banana
• 1/2 of one apple
• a few green grapes
• 2 tsp powdered jaggery
• a pinch of cardamom
• a few drops of rose water
• a few slices of fresh coconut 
• 1 tsp freshly grated coconut
• water to adjust the consistency

Preparation - Chop the banana and apples into small pieces.

Transfer everything (except coconut slices) into a grinder jar. Buzz for a few seconds till the jaggery gets dissolved.

Check the consistency. While it is generally kept thick, you can add a little more water if you prefer a thinner consistency.

Pour into a glass and garnish with coconut slices/grated coconut. (Add 2-3 ice cubes if you want it chilled)

Serve immediately.

Note - To prepare the almond milk, soak 1 cup almonds overnight. Next morning, discard the water and peel them. Blend on high for 3-4 mins along with 2 - 2 1/2 cups water. Strain and remove the pulp. Use the extracted milk within 3-4 days ( when refrigerated ).

The pulp can be kneaded into the dough for making rotis/puris/parathas.

Happy New Year to all my Odiya/Bengali/Assamese/Tamil/Punjabi friends!!

Panna Sankranti or Mahavisubha Sankranti marks the first day of the Odiya calendar year. And hence it is celebrated with much festivity is all parts of the state. People make a sweet drink called 'Panna' and offer it to the Tulsi plant. It is then distributed among family and friends. Special pujas are conducted in the temples and the new 'panji' comes into use. It is calculated as the first day of the Solar year.

This day is also celebrated by as 'Poila Baisakh' in Bengal, 'Bohag Bihu' in Assam, 'Cheiraoba' in Manipur, 'Baisakhi' in Punjab and Haryana and 'Puthandu' in Tamil Nadu.

The 'Panna' which is a special drink made with fruit, sugar/jaggery, yogurt/milk, chenna and water, is the highlight of this festival in Odisha. Its' consistency is comparable to that of a smoothie.Two types of Panna are made on this day- the 'Bela Panna' and the 'Chattua Panna', the former being vastly more popular.

Check the recipes here : Bela Panna (Here) and Chattua Panna (Here).

Have a happy and prosperous year ahead!!

Chattua Panaa

'Panaa Sankranti ' or 'Mahavisubha Sankranti' which falls on 14th April signals the beginning of the Oriya new year. On this day, a special drink is offered as prasad and is also widely consumed by the masses. Various regions within Odisha have their own localized version of this drink, but the two most popular ones happen to be the 'Chattu Panna' and the 'Bela Panaa'. While the former has a base of roasted gram dal (sattu in Hindi/chattua in Oriya) along with fruits, the latter is made from the pulp of the fruit of the Elephant apple tree. This tree is more commonly referred to as the 'Bel' tree and is sacred for most Hindus, particularly the Shaivites (devotees of Lord Shiva).

You might be wondering as to the timing of my post. Well, it has started getting a little hot and we are drinking a lot of juices/liquids these days. So, when it came up during a recent discussion that India has such a huge variety of drinks to offer, we tried to do a verbal recall of the stuff that we have tried till date. Now even my husband found it hard to recall that we have this 'delicious 'Panaa' to Odisha's credit. Hence an attempt to bring the focus back on this special drink that is both healthy and filling. Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 10 minutes

Ingredients - 3 tsp chattua ( roasted gram dal flour ), 1 small banana, 1/2 of one apple, 2 tsp yogurt, 3 tsp chenna ( panner ), 1 tsp sugar or 1.5 tsp powdered jaggery, a pinch of cardamom, 1/2 cup milk, 1 tsp freshly grated coconut for garnishing.

Preparation - Chop the banana and apples into small pieces. Lightly crumble the chenna/paneer.

Transfer everything into a grinder jar. Buzz for a few seconds till the sugar gets dissolved.

Check the consistency. While it is generally kept thick, you can add a little more milk if you prefer a thinner consistency.

Pour into a glass and garnish with grated coconut. (Add 2-3 ice cubes if desired)

Serve immediately.