As I continue to bemoan the summer, I have another summer cooler today which is a huge relief from the heat. Panagam is a jaggery, lemon and ginger drink which is an instant refresher and easily made at home. Usually we make Panagam for Ram Navami but I love this one and so I continue to make it even during summer. I buy a fresh packet of jaggery for the Tamil New Year which is in April to make manga pachadi (raw mango and jaggery dip). Then I use the balance jaggery to make this panagam and chill out.
I recently discovered that people also add pepper to this drink. I am not sure why but my mother has never added it and so neither do I. I use organic jaggery less for health reasons and more for my lazy reasons. Organic jaggery is soft and can easily be blended with water while the regular jaggery needs to be heated and melted before adding to the water. So I recommend the organic version purely to quicken the process.
Makes 6 glasses
WHAT WE NEED
5 cups Water
1 1/4 cup Organic jaggery
1 Lemon, medium size
2-3 tsp Grated ginger
WHAT TO DO
- Take a large vessel and add the water to it
- Add the jaggery and mix it well with water till the jaggery is completely dissolved
- Add the juice of 1 lemon and the grated ginger
- Mix well and refrigerate for 2 hours
- If you want, you can filter out the ginger and serve
- Enjoy!
NOTES
- You can use regular jaggery instead of organic. In that case, use only 1 cup. Heat 3 tbsp water in a pan and add the jaggery. Stir till it melts and then add it to the water
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Addition of pepper is new to me as well. I am a big fan of panakam, it is such a wonderful drink!
I like panakam we make for Sri Rama Navami but i don’t think we add lime to it. So before reading the ingredients list i was wondering how can one drink panagam unless they have a very very sweet tooth! With lime juice, am sure it is refreshing and an excellent drink to have, specially in summers.
I have never had this drink. But I like anything with jaggery so I am sure I will love this. Will try it soon.
Perfect thirst quencher. I agree that adding lime/lemon juice elevates this classic coolant to a different level.
Ram navami or otherwise, this is a great one to Have during summers . Only after my wedding I came to know it can be made with jaggery too. Till then I was used to the sugar version. We add pachaikarpooram or saffron strands while making it for ramnavami naivedyam !
Oh so many different views here, nice to read them!. My mom always makes it with jaggery, lime and tulsi. Some add pepper for the health reasons of pepper. Whatever said, I simply love this drink…
I know a version where they add tamarind juice instead of lemon. This version sounds really simple and with organic jaggery the work becomes lot more easier.
My mom adds ground cardamom and ground pepper to panakam. Lemon juice is a refreshing addition. I want to try your version soon.
we make panakam in similar way. We like to add lemon juice and it is so refreshing for summer