Paruthi Paal Paruthi Paal

Paruthi Paal

Here's a drink that's rich in nutrition but doesn't have a rich traditional history

On our Virtual Escape to Tamil Nadu, we asked Chef Sricharan - "If you could take one dish from your state to be represented on the world's stage, what would you name?"

His answer - Paruthi Paal

Paruthi (cotton seed) paal (milk) is a drink that is rich in nutrition but doesn't have that rich a history. 

The consumption of cotton seeds during WW II was out of necessity, because of lack of availability of food. The cotton seeds have a toxic compound that is removed. The seeds are then soaked, ground and filtered to extract the cotton seed milk. 

Paruthi Paal is usually sweetened with jaggery and kudu millet, cardamom, coconut and dry ginger powder are added.



Click here to read the entire interview with Chef Sricharan Venkatesh


Not just this drink, but with the cotton seeds a rich halwa is also made.

Pure Paruthi Paal Halwa; Image Courtesy: Kalaiselvi Murugesan, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons


More Reading on Paruthi Paal: 

Paruthi Paal, a nutrient-rich healthy drink from cottonseed: an Indian delicacy by Manoj Kumar; Journal of Ethnic Foods

india-circleKarnataka
Beverages urban Tamil Nadu
Sricharan Venkatesh

Sricharan Venkatesh

Chef de cuisine, Sricharan Venkatesh is one of the founding members of Nadodi. Nadodi draws on the rich heritage, stories of past traditions and shared culture to reinvent familiar South Indian flavours found in Malaysia and Singapore, to present a ground-breaking culinary experience to the global diner.


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