Palooda and Paalum Pazhavum are just two of the many traditional drinks that are served for iftar

Creamy Palooda | Photo Credit: Shakira Banu

Shakira Banu Cannot Imagine an Iftar without Homemade Palooda. No Cousin of falooda, palooda is a popular dish that is part of Iftar in Northern Kerala, Espaceally Kannur.

A. Home-Cook, Shakira Says Her Mother, Who has Her Roots in Marthandam in Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, Learned to make the palooda When they were living in Oman.

“It is milk cooked with a spoonful of maida, a little sugar, cardamom and cinnamon. Final, it is tempered with shallots and cashewnut fried in ghee. So many kinds of nuts that are easily available, you can use your imagination to garnish the palooda“Says shakira.

After a long day’s fast, a variety of filling drinks are served during itar in the evening. With the mercury Soaring steadily, Fruit Juice of different kinds are a staple. In addition, kerala has a pleethora of traditional homemade drinks that are made for iftar.

Jugunu thajudheen, a Resident of Kochi Who Hails from Kannur, Says the Advantage of these drinks is that they are easy to digest and helps the empty stomach copy copy with the food that FOD THTEN AATEN AATEN AATEN AATEN AATEN AATEN AATEN AATEN AATEN AAN AATE

,Palooda is a common drink in Most Homes in Kannur for Iftar. It is soothing on the stomach and easy to digest. We use cloves and cardamom for the flavor. Finally, I add a dash of rosewater or rose essence. I make it when my grandchildren are home for iftar, “Says the Septugenarian.

Paalum Pazhavum | Photo Credit: Shakira Banu

Another Traditional Drink That Shakira, an experienced home-cock, cherishes is Palum PazhavumShe says it is a drink that she can have any time of the day. The smaller variatiies of yellow banana is mashed and mixed with coconut milk. “And it is surhetened with shavings of palm jaggery. It is a staple in my home. Nowadays, Jaggery, Sugar and Honey are also used. Shakira.

Among a wide variety of other traditional homemade drinks are aval (Flattened rice) paal and gothambu kachiyathu (a wheat drink)“Thari Kachiyathu Is Semolina Cooked In Coconut Milk With Sugar and Cardamom and Cloves. It is garnished with cashewnuts, raisins and carmelised shallots. I use only kismis And shallots, “Says jugnu.

Vermicelli cooked in coconut milk. , Photo Credit: Jugunu thajudheen

Jugnu says vermicelli is also used to make a drink payasam but coconut milk is used instead of dairy. Other traditional drinks like aval paal and gothambu kachiyathu Are also made, she adds.

“For aval paalYellow Banana Like njali poovan (a variety of yellow banana) is mashed and added to coconut milk. Finally, aval is added with sugar to taste and powdered cardamom. It’s very tasty. This is how my UMMA (Mother) used to make it, “Says jugunu.

Nowadays youtubers brings in all kind of variations, jugnu say. “At present, eats like gothambu kanji (Wheat Gruel) is not commonly made. In kannur, we get polished wheat that has been hand-pounded to remove the bran. That is cooked with a little onion and cinnamon. Once, it is cooked, the cinnamon is removed and the cooked wheat is mashed and sieved. Then Coconut Milk is added and cooked again. It is tempered with fried shallots before serving. “