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Indian

Bela pana

Vegetarian

ବେଲ ପଣା · bela paṇā

Odisha's festive bael-fruit drink: the fragrant pulp soaked and sieved, then sweetened with jaggery and enriched with curd, banana, black pepper and cardamom.

Bela pana is an Indian cold drink, ready in about 35 minutes and made with bael fruit and jaggery / palm sugar. It serves 5 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
0 min
Rest
15 min
Total
35 min
Serves
5
Level
Easy
Calories
158

Ingredients

5 glasses

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Crack the hard bael (opens in a new tab) shell with a rolling pin or the back of a heavy knife and scoop the orange pulp into a bowl with 400 ml of the water. Leave to soften for 15 minutes.

    Dough being rolled out with a rolling pin
    How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Mash the pulp with your hand into the water, then push it through a sieve, discarding the sticky seeds and fibres. Rinse the pulp left in the sieve with the remaining water and press again.

    Potatoes being mashed
    How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) in the jaggery until dissolved, then the curd (opens in a new tab), mashed banana (opens in a new tab), pepper (opens in a new tab) and cardamom (opens in a new tab).

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Stir in grated coconut (opens in a new tab) if using and serve cool, over ice if you like.

    • 1 min

About this dish

Origin
Odisha, India · Commonly attributedMade for Pana Sankranti, the Odia new year in April; plainer bel sharbat is common across North and East India.More food from India
Dish
Snack · Cold drinks
Cooking method
No-cook
Taste
sweet, fruity, aromatic / warmly spiced, refreshing
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · Low-sodium
With the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Paleo-style, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Jaggery / palm sugar · Yogurt · Banana · Cardamom

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom yogurt

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

158 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 270 g · recipe makes 5

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 3%
  • Carbohydrate 92%
  • Fat 5%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy158 kcal59 kcal
Protein1.4 g0.5 g
Carbohydrate38.9 g14.4 g
Net carbohydrate——
Sugars——
Added sugars15.5 g5.8 g
Fibre——
Fat0.9 g0.3 g
Saturated fat——
Trans fat——
Cholesterol3 mg1 mg
Sodium18 mg7 mg
Salt equivalent0 g0 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
294 mg
Calcium
69 mg
Iron
1.5 mg
Magnesium
—
Vitamin A (RAE)
—
Vitamin C
35 mg
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
0.1 µg
Folate (DFE)
—

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: coconut, ice.
  • Bael fruit: Native persimmon (FDC 169943) as a stand-in starchy-sweet fruit pulp of similar energy (~130 kcal/100 g).
  • Jaggery / palm sugar: Brown sugar (FDC 168833) used as a stand-in for unrefined cane jaggery and palm sugar.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Choose a fruit that smells sweet and sounds hollow when tapped; unripe bael is astringent.

Common mistakes

  • Blending the pulp with its seeds, which makes the drink bitter and gluey.

Storage

  • Best the day it is made; keep refrigerated.

Variations

  • Bel sharbat (India): North Indian version: sieved pulp, water, sugar and a pinch of black salt, without curd or banana.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sip & Blend

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Bael fruit, pulp scooped from 1 medium ripe fruit250 g
  • Yogurt, plain curd, whisked100 g
  • Banana, ripe, mashed1 piece · 118 g
  • Coconut, freshly grated (optional)20 g
Used in steps 1, 3, 4

Less sweet, dairy-free, caffeine-free or for more people — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sip & Blend

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