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.

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.

Bela Panaa

Preparation Time: 10-15 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 Ripened Bela/Wood apple/Elephant apple
• 1 cup curd
• 1 cup chenna/curdled milk or 3 rosogullas
• 1 ripe banana
• 3tbs sugar
• ice-cubes
• 1/4 tsp black pepper powder

Preparation: Break the shell of the wood apple on a hard surface and scoop out the
yellow flesh.

Put the yellow flesh in a mixing bowl and add 2 cups of cold water. Mix the flesh with the water using your fingers to extract the juice.

Strain the juice using a sieve. Transfer the remaining pulp back to the mixing bowl and add 1 cup cold water and extract any remaining juice.

Strain the juice and throw away the pulp.

Add sugar, banana, chenna/rosogulla, curd and black pepper. Mix well using your fingers.

Pour into glasses & top up with ice-cubes. Serve chilled.


Note: Bela ( also called Bel) pannaa is very popular in Orissa during the summer months.

It is offered to Lord Shiva on Panaa Sankranti day which falls on 14th of April. It is supposed to be an excellent coolant and is good for the bowels.

The leaves of this plant are also offered to Lord Shiva along with milk. Consuming a fistful of these leaves is supposed to reduce blood pressure & diabetes.