Panchamirtham or Panchamrudham is a divine offering that is offered to Lord Muruga in Pazhani, a small hill town in Tamil Nadu. This post is a humble recreation of this famous Prasadam from Palani.
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Panchamritham – Panchamrut
are both dishes offered to the Gods in Hindu temples. But they are not the same. Panchamrut translates to five types of ambrosia and typically uses milk, yogurt, ghee, honey and sugar.
It is commonly served during Sri Krishna Jayanti. However, the south Indian version is quite different.
Palani and Panchamrutam
are synonymous to each other. Offered to Murugan everyday, this delicious dish has local banana cultivars, honey, dates and rock candy among other things.
However, the real deal that you get in Pazhani uses Virupakshi banana and that is what makes it exemplary.
My recipe uses whatever I could find locally and is really simple to make. In my humble opinion, this is an ideal dish that you can whip up as dessert or as a quick Neivedyam.
Ingredients
- Bananas – if you can source Poovan, Rasthali or Virupakshi bananas, it is the closest you can make to the real deal. I have used cavendish bananas that I can easily get here in Germany.
- Medjool dates or any variety of dates work here.
- Jaggery or country sugar – ideal, recommended and the real deal. The closest alternative is coconut sugar.
- Honey
- Cardamom and edible camphor also called as Pachakarpooram
- Ghee to prevent the mixture from discoloring due to oxidisation.
- Optional ingredients that I did not have include rock candy cubes
Variations
Add more fruits
It is a fantastic way to use up apples, grapes, pears and dried fruit like figs and apricots. Use whatever fruits you have on hand in combination with everything I have mentioned here.
Apart from this, you can also add cashews. I have also tastes versions where they add chopped Tutti Fruiti. Great for texture.
- Make it vegan by skipping the ghee and honey. On that note, please make sure that you consume it immediately. The ghee helps in retaining that gorgeous earthy brown color.
- To replace honey, add agave nectar or rice syrup. However, agave nectar is the closest substitute.
- Another version that I personally love is a combination of bananas, dried figs, black grapes and everything else mentioned here.
Edible camphor – Pachai Karpooram
is that magic ingredient that you add to dishes to get that authentic temple feel. You can add it to Sakkarai Pongal, Kesari or any sweet Prasadam you make.
Also called as Kapur, you can find this in most Indian grocery stores. Please look for “edible camphor”. The camphor that folks use in Pooja is not edible.
While this is optional, I highly recommend adding it to get that original temple style recipe.
Recipe Notes
- To achieve a pleasant texture, I recommend chopping all fruits other than banana finely.
- Mashing 1/2 the bananas slightly adds a great deal to the taste and texture.
- Finely chopping dried fruits like dates and figs is also important.
- Closest alternative to honey in this recipe is agave nectar.
- It is customary to add rock candy (called Kalkandu in Tamil)- this gives a nice crunch. I did not have any. In case you can source it, you can add 1 tsp Kalkandu to this recipe.
Make ahead, shelf life and storage
- We usually make Panchamrutham only as Prasadam. You can make this up to 12 hours ahead of time.
- Leftover Panchamrutham keeps well in the fridge for 2 days when you store it in a clean air tight container.
Panchamirtham
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 2 bananas medium sized ripe ones - sliced
- 1 banana medium sized ripe one - mashed
- 12 medjool dates pitted and chopped finely
- 1.5 tbsp raisins
- 1/4 cup jaggery powdered or grated- I have used jaggery powder here
- 1.25 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp Ghee
- 4 green cardamoms crushed
- 1 very tiny pinch of edible camphor
Instructions
- Mash 1 banana in a bowl and set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the remaining sliced bananas, chopped dates, raisins, jaggery, honey, cardamom and edible camphor.
- Tip in the mashed banana and mix well but gently using a spatula.
- Add ghee in the end, mix gently to combine everything.
- Serve at room temperature.
Video
Notes
- Varieties of bananas that are ideal for this recipe- Poovan, Karpooravalli, Rasthali, Virupakshi cultivars. If you cannot source any of these, work with whatever you have on hand.
- To achieve a pleasant texture, I recommend chopping all fruits other than banana finely.
- Mashing 1/2 the bananas slightly adds a great deal to the taste and texture.
- Finely chopping dried fruits like dates and figs is also important.
- Closest alternative to honey in this recipe is agave nectar.
- It is customary to add rock candy (called Kalkandu in Tamil)- this gives a nice crunch. I did not have any. In case you can source it, you can add 1 tsp Kalkandu to this recipe.
For Instant Pot & Air Fryer Recipes
Instant Pot timings may vary based on your geographic location. Air fryer settings and timings may vary based on the capacity and the model of the Air fryer.
Disclaimer
Nutrition values are provided here as a courtesy and are only a rough guide. Please consult a health care provider if you have any concerns.
Nutrition
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