Bela Pana

by Tarla Dalal

Bela Panna ( Odisha Style Wood Apple Drink)

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bela pana recipe | Odia pana | bel ka sharbat | Indian bel juice | wood apple squash | with 19 amazing images.

bela pana recipe | Odia pana | bel ka sharbat | Indian bel juice | wood apple squash is a traditional drink from Oriya made using bael fruit. Learn how to make bel ka sharbat.

To make bela pana, break the bel (wood apple/bengal quince) and transfer the pulp to a bowl. Add ¼ cup of water and strain using a strainer. Transfer this to another deep bowl. Combine the banana, sugar, black pepper, grated paneer, grated coconut and sugar in the same bowl. Mash it up with the help of a spoon. Add about 2 cups of water and mix well. Serve bela pana chilled over ice cubes.

The moment you hear the word panna or Pana, it is Aam ka Panna that pops up in your mind. But, there are more variants to this summer cooler! In Odisha, for example, they make a traditional Odia pana with wood apples.

With characteristic ingredients of Odia cuisine like chenna and coconut, this wood apple squash drink is part of festivities like Pana Sankranti and Odia new year. It is also offered as prasad to Lord Jagannath of Puri.

The bel ka sharbat is a totally mind-boggling summer drink, with an intriguing flavour and mouth-feel. Indeed, if a drink combines wood apple with paneer, coconut, spices, jaggery, etc.

The Indian bel juice is quite addictive though – you cannot stop with one helping. Worry not, you can have a little more if you are tempted, because this awesome drink is also good for you. It has a soothing effect on the body in summers and is known to overcome sunstroke.

Tips for bela pana. 1. We recommend that you mash the pulp with fingers and not spoon. Also make sure that you remove all the lumps by mashing the pulp. 2. This drink is not very thin in consistency. So add the said quantity of water only. 3. We have used fine sugar so it dissolves quickly. You can add powdered sugar also. 4. If you don’t have powdered sugar, grind the table sugar in a mixer and sieve it before use. 5. After adding sugar, mix well till the sugar dissolves.

Enjoy bela pana recipe | Odia pana | bel ka sharbat | Indian bel juice | wood apple squash | with step by step photos.

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Odia Bela Pana, Bel ka Sharbat recipe - How to make Odia Bela Pana, Bel ka Sharbat

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Preparation Time: 20 mins Cooking Time: 0 mins Total Time: 20 mins 6Makes 6 glasses
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Ingredients

For Bela Pana
1 ripe wood apple (bael fruit)
1 banana
5 to 6 tbsp sugar
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (kalimirch)
1/2 cup grated paneer (cottage cheese)
1/4 cup grated coconut
4 to 5 ice-cubes

Method

For bela pana

To make bela pana, break the bel (wood apple/bengal quince) and transfer the pulp to a bowl.
Add ¼ cup of water and strain using a strainer. Transfer this to another deep bowl.
Combine the banana, sugar, black pepper,grated paneer, grated coconut and sugar in the same bowl. Mash it up with the help of a spoon.
Add about 2 cups of water and mix well.
Serve bela pana chilled over ice cubes.

Odia Bela Pana, Bel ka Sharbat recipe with step by step photos

Other Odia recipes

We have a huge collection of Odia recipes on our website. So apart from Bela Pana, you can try out other recipes like:

How to make Bela Pana

To make the Bela pana, take a medium sized bel. Break it open with the help of a knife. Be very careful as shell of the wood apple is hard to break.
Remove the pulp with the help of a spoon a transfer it to a bowl.
Mash the pulp with your hands. Make sure that you remove all the lumps by mashing the pulp.
Add about ½ cup of water and strain the pulp using a strainer. Transfer it to another deep bowl.

Mash the banana well with the help of your hands.
Add the banana. Banana enhances the mouthfeel and flavour of the Bela Pana.
Add the sugar. You can increase or decrease the amount of sugar as per your liking.
Now, add black pepper to cut down excess sweetness. It also perks up the flavours of the Bela Pana.
Add the grated coconut for the desired mouthfeel.

Add grated paneer or Chenna. Chenna is an essential part of Odia cuisine and is used in most vegetarian dishes and desserts.
Mix it up with the help of a spoon. You can use your hands or a potato masher if you wish to.
Now, add about 2 cups of water to adjust the consistency of your Bela Pana.
Mix it up well with te help of a spoon.
Serve the Bela Pana chilled over ice cubes. You can garnish it with Bel leaves or a few pomegranate seeds.

Tips for bela pana

Always buy a ripe wood apple. To test its ripeness, try the bounce test. Drop it on a hard surface — if it bounces, the fruit is unripe. A ripe fruit will fall with a thud to the ground. Fully ripe wood apple also has a light brown to a toffee brown tone flesh.
We recommend that you mash the pulp with fingers and not spoon. Also make sure that you remove all the lumps by mashing the pulp.
This drink is not very thin in consistency. So add the said quantity of water only.
We have used fine sugar so it dissolves quickly. You can add powdered sugar also.
If you don’t have powdered sugar, grind the table sugar in a mixer and sieve it before use.