My Food Story: Food that is memory of mutual affection and togetherness

In my childhood whenever a palm tree was cut anywhere, it was an occasion to celebrate. All the neighbourhood women would gather together, pound the palm pith, mix it with water, strain it and then evenly share the sediment that settled at the bottom. Using that, they would prepare many dishes. This food is also a memory of mutual affection and togetherness. The palm powder is a natural energy source, rich in carbohydrates and helps reduce body heat. It is gluten and cholesterol free, low-fat food.

Pana verakiyath (palm powder) halwa

Ingredients

Palm powder: 6 tbs

Jaggery powder: 50 g

Cardamom powder: 2 tsp

Salt: 1 pinch

Ghee: 2tbs

Thick coconut milk: 100 ml

Broken cashew: 2 tbs

Method

Mix palm powder with water. Strain it. Melt the jaggery and strain it. Heat a thick bottomed pan, pour the palm powder mixture and cook on low to medium heat, stirring continuously. Once the mixture thickens, add jaggery syrup and mix well. Pour coconut milk, cardamom powder and ghee. Stir till the ends release from the pan. Transfer to a greased mould and garnish with broken cashews. 

My Food Story is a collection of stories and recipes that celebrate India’s traditional plant-based ingredients sourced from local biodiversity. You can see these recipes on our interactive dashboard (https://www.cseindia.org/page/myfoodstory).

Join us as we showcase the recipes shared with us by the participants of a recently concluded recipe contest on winter dishes.

Sunantha Sunil is a culinary instructor from Kerala.