Panakam

Panakam - A cooling recipe for the hot summers. This is prepared and distributed during Ramnavami in parts of Karnataka, along with kosambari  (Kosambari) and neer majjige. It is a ancient lemonade made using line juice and jaggery and has good health benefits.

Ingredients
Lemon - 1 (juice of it)
Jaggery - 1/2 cup crushed
Dry ginger powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper black - 8 to 10
Cardamom green - 4 to 5
Clove - 2
Salt - a pinch
Water as necessary
Method
Take the cardamom, clove and pepper and powder it using mortar and pestle or blender. Crush/powder the jaggery.
In a bowl take about 2 cups of water and dissolve the jaggery in it.
Add the juice of 1 lemon to it.
Add the powdered cardamom, clove, pepper mix and powdered dry ginger. Add a pinch of salt and mix well. Add some more water if necessary. Filter it for impurities.
Refrigerate before serving

1. Please don't replace jaggery with sugar. The taste is totally different.

2. Edible camphor can be added. It gives a nice taste and also supposed to be a coolant.

3. You can add the holy basil leaves if you are offering to God as naivedyam. Even otherwise if you add them, it gives a different flavour to the drink.