Pana Sankranti

Happy Oriya New Year! We celebrate Oriya New Year on Pana Sankranti which is considered the 1st day of the Solar Calendar. The day is called Pana Sankranti - since a special drink called Pana is served on this day. While I did know somethings (knowledge was limited to having the yummy Pana) about Pana Sankranti growing up, I learnt a lot more over the last few days by quizzing my Mom and reading up on the net. Here is some details I found on the importance of Pana Sankranti in Orissa from Festivals of India

While I would love to give the exact recipe of the Pana - I don't have it. Here is my version of it. It was yummy and everyone enjoyed it at home. So here goes my version of Pana.

Ingredients

1/2 cup freshly made paneer
1/2 cup apple peeled and cut into tiny pieces
1/4 cup mango peeled and cut into tiny pieces
1/4 cup banana peeled and cut into tiny pieces
1/2 cup Honey or Jaggery
1/2 cup yogurt
2 cardamom
handful of cashews ground separately
fistful of fresh grated coconut (optional)

How to

Put all the fruits, yogurt, paneer, cardamom and sugar in a mixie and mix well. Add about a cup of water to it and mix well. Serve fresh with ground cashew and fresh shredded coconut sprinkled on top...