Panakam recipe | Chalimidi vadapappu | Sri rama navami recipes

Panakam recipe – Sri rama navami recipes . Panakam, chalimidi, vadapappu are some of the naivedyams that are offered to Lord Rama during Sri Rama Navami, Goddess Varalakshmi during varalakshmi vratam / puja and to goddess Durga during Durga Navaratri. Sri Ram Navami falls on the 9th day of chaitra masa every year and it was on this day Lord Sri Rama was born. So this day is celebrated as a festival by Hindus.

Panakam, chalimidi & vadapappu are considered to be auspicious and prepared on special occasions like festivals, wedding etc.

Panakam is a traditional beverage made with jaggery, water & cardamom powder. It is a custom to make panakam for Sri Rama Navami in temples. It is offered to the Lord & them distributed among the devotees.

Chalimidi is a sweet dish made with rice flour, jaggery and cardamom powder. There are two ways of making chalimidi – pachi chalimidi and pakam chalimidi. I have included the recipes of both in the recipe card. For pooja we usually prepare the pachi chalimidi.

Vada pappu is nothing but soaked and drained moong dal. Chalimidi is served with vada pappu.

Usually these 3 are prepared and offered in combination.

I got to prepare these on the day of ugadi for naivedhyam. This time I offered panakam and chalimidi vadpappu too for ugadi to make the naivedhyam count 7. Since they are easy to prepare, i chose them. Chalimidi looks dry since the pictures were shot after 6 hours of preparing it.

If you are looking for more naivedhyam recipes or andhra festival recipes check out
Poornam boorelu
Garelu
Rava appalu,
Bellam paramannam
Senaga pappu paysam
Chakkara pongal

Panakam recipe and chalimidi vadapappu recipes

Panakam

Panakam is a beverage prepared with jaggery, cardamom powder and water. Ingredients like pepper powder and ginger powder can also be added. 

Prep Time1 hour

Total Time1 hour

Servings2

AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )

for panakam

• 4 tbsp. Jaggery Grated
• 2 cups Water
• Pinch cardamom powder (1 large cardamom)
• Pinch dry ginger powder (or sonti/ saunt)
• Pinch pepper (coarsely crushed)

for Vadapappu

• ¼ cup moong dal (or pesara pappu)

For pachi chalimidi (naivedyam)

• ½ cup jaggery
• 1 cup Rice flour (even the store bought flour works fine)
• few tbsp. water

For pakam chalimidi

• ¼ cup ghee plus 1 tbsp
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• 1 cup rice
• ¼ cup coconut pieces
• 2 pinches cardamom powder

How to make the recipe

Making panakam recipe

• Mix jaggery and water and stir till jaggery melts. Strain to remove impurities.
• Add cardamom, ginger powder and crushed pepper. Panakam is ready. This is traditional panakam offered to god. There are also variations where lemon juice is squeezed. If you prefer you can also add little lemon juice but not sure if it is offered to god.

Making vadapappu

• Soak moong dal for one to 2 hours. Drain off the water completely. This is vadapappu.

Making pachi chalimidi

• Mix jaggery and rice flour well. Sprinkle little water and knead well to get a dough. Do not add too much water. Dough should hold shape. Pachi chalimidi is ready. 

Making pakam chalimidi (with ingredients below)

• Wash 1 cup rice well. Soak it overnight in enough water.
• Next morning, drain the water. Leave it in the colander until all the water is completely drained but the rice is still moist.
• Add the rice to a blender and make a very fine powder or flour.
• Sieve it using a very fine mess or sieve. Measure 1 cup of the flour for making chalimidi. Keep this ready. You will be left with little excess flour. You can use that for some other recipe.
• Roast ¼ cup chopped coconut pieces in ¼ plus 1 tbsp ghee till you get a nice aroma. The coconut pieces have to turn slightly golden in color. Set the pan aside with coconut and ghee together. 
  
• Add half cup sugar along with half cup water to a large pot.
• Boil the mixture until it reaches a soft ball consistency. Drop a spoonful of syrup in a bowl of water, you must be able to make a ball.
• Immediately add ghee and coconut, give a quick stir. Move it away from the stove.  Add cardamom powder.
• Add  ¾ cup sieved rice flour. Mix well to remove lumps. You must be quick in doing this. Depending on the consistency, you may need to add more flour, about 2 to 4 tbsps. You will need to stop adding if you feel the mixture is too thick.  The mixture has to be slightly runny, it will firm after cooling.
• Add another table spoon of ghee at the end. This prevents it looking dry like mine. Cool it thoroughly. 
• Enjoy chalimidi with family and friends.

NUTRITION (estimation only)

Calories: 694kcal | Carbohydrates: 154g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 290mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 76g | Vitamin C: 1.1mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 2.8mg

If you are a beginner or new to Indian cooking, I highly suggest you to check the supporting step by step photos for best results. Step by step photos with description available below after the recipe card.