A forgotten Kerala drink that once replaced tea and coffee

Long before the familiarity of morning tea and coffee, many Kerala homes began their day with something far more rooted in the land. Thenga paani, a warm coconut milk drink sweetened with jaggery and flavoured with cardamom, was once a regular at breakfast tables.

Made by extracting different layers of coconut milk and slowly building flavour with jaggery and cardamom, this drink feels rich and creamy. It carries the fragrance of a payasam, but the simplicity of a tea. If you think about it, it is a payasam without the chunkies. It can be turned into a summer special by chilling

Here's how to make it:

Ingredients
2 coconuts
250 g jaggery
1 tsp cardamom powder

Preparation

• Grate the coconuts and extract the first milk (thick coconut milk). Then extract the second and third milk by adding water and squeezing again.
• Start by heating the third milk in a pan. Add the jaggery and stir until it dissolves completely. Once it begins to simmer, pour in the second milk and continue heating.
• When this mixture starts to boil gently, add the first milk. Let it heat through without boiling to prevent curdling, so the richness stays intact. Sprinkle cardamom powder, mix well, and take it off the heat.
• Serve warm, or let it cool slightly before drinking.

Add a few ice cubes and it turns into a perfect summer drink.