Maredu Pandu Smoothie - Ripe Bael Fruit Smoothie - Bello PaNa for Pana Sankranti

Method:

Break Bael fruit as one breaks a coconut. Break bael fruit by hitting on the ground. It breaks easily. Separate the broken bael fruit into two parts. Break open and take out the pulp with a spoon. When serving for two people use half of the bael fruit—that would be sufficient. When fresh fruit is not available use dried bael fruit which is available in shops selling ayurvedic products. Soak the dried fruit overnight and boil till soft before extracting juice.

Fix a dough kneading blade to the food processor bowl. Add the bael fruit pulp and 350ml water to the processor bowl and run it. After making the juice we need to strain it to remove seeds and pith. For this use a large holed strainer to strain the juice. It is important to remove the seeds and pith but not the fiber—so strain it with a large holed strainer. Run the processor till the seeds separate from the pulp. Strain the prepared juice into the large holed strainer and press with the back of a ladle to extract juice. The residue remaining in the strainer, need to be processed again to extract the remaining juice. So take the residue back into the processor bowl and add the remaining 350ml water and run the processor. Strain the juice into the large holed strainer. Observe that the consistency of the juice is thin compared to the juice extracted earlier. As nothing remains in the residue left in the strainer, discard it. Taste the juice to find its own unique flavor and taste.

Crush & remove peels of cardamoms. Make powder of cardamom seeds in a mortar & pestle. Add black salt to the cardamom powder and crush to make a fine powder.

Fix acrylic jar to the processor and add curdled milk, prepared bael fruit juice, crushed cardamom-black salt powder, artificial sweetener (or sweetener of your choice) and blend. Blend till the juice is frothy. Pour the juice into a jug and chill in refrigerator. Stir well before serving. Pour in attractive glasses and serve.

Bael fruit has many health benefits. It gives relief for those suffering from stomach disorders like gastric problems. For those suffering from constipation it works as a natural laxative. Enjoy the fruit, its juice and the health benefits it provide in the natural form.

Points to Remember:

Bael fruit is generally available from February (During the festival Shivaratri) till April end. It is rarely available in the market. When it is available use and get the health benefits along with the unique taste.

The pulp will be sticky to touch. For those who do not have food processor, take the pulp and water in a large deep bowl and press between fingers to separate the seeds and soften the pulp to extract juice. It is a tedious work.

To ease the work I have used a food processor with dough kneading blade. Using a dough kneading blade will not crush the seeds there by changing the taste.

Use sugar, grated jaggery or artificial sweetener to sweeten the juice.

Normal healthy people may use sugar to sweeten the juice. Those suffering from Asthma may use grated jaggery which is beneficial. For diabetics and health conscious people artificial sweetener is the alternative. Add Cardamoms, black salt and sweetener in moderation, taste it and add more if required only

Caution: During Festive Revelry in public gatherings at times Bhang (Cannabi Plant preparation) is mixed in this smoothie. When strangers offer this smoothie to you, inquire about ingredients before tasting it.

P.S .In traditional method while making PaNa, we add ripe Banana, Apple pieces etc and put Honey instead of Sugar. The ingredients are mixed with hand for pouring consistency but not blended.

Enjoy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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