Ilaneer as Tender Coconut water is known in Kerala is one of the most delicious natural thirst quenchers in the world. On long road trips during the hot summers back home, the roadside Ilaneer vendors were like gods to us. At less than Rs. 10/. (less than 25¢) for a coconut, this very affordable drink is a great alternative to the expensive colas which are full of chemicals and artificial sweeteners. The refreshing tender coconut water is sweet in taste and has a lot of medicinal values. 

For those who are not familiar with coconuts, don’t confuse coconut water with coconut milk. Check Wikipedia for more information on coconut water. 

Ilaneer is best on its own, but it is okay to mix it up once in a while for a little variety. Here is a tender coconut water drink recipe adapted from Mrs. B.F Varughese’s book “Recipes for All Occasions Part 3″. This one is so refreshingly tasty, make sure you make enough for seconds.

Tender Coconut Drink

Ingredients

Method

In a blender, grind the tender coconut pulp to a smooth paste. Add the water , tender coconut water, sugar and lemon juice to the blender and process till the ingredients are well blended.

Strain using a fine sieve and chill in the refrigerator, it taste better ice cold. Sprinkle powdered cinnamon before serving.

Note: Make sure you start with a tender coconut with a soft white pulp. If the coconut is too young, the pulp won’t be eatable, and if it too old, the pulp will be hard.

This is my contribution for the letter “I” for Nupur’s A to Z of Indian Vegetables event.

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Comments

17 Responses to “I is for Ilaneer (Tender Coconut Water)”

  1. Nupur on March 24th, 2007 10:29 pm

    It is a warm day in St. Louis today, and just looking at that lovely drink is giving me serious cravings! It looks so refreshing. Thanks for participating, Sigma!

  2. Sushma on March 24th, 2007 10:36 pm

    What a clever Idea. I never knew Coconut water is called as Ilaneer. Very refreshing drink

    -Sushma

  3. Richa on March 24th, 2007 11:20 pm

    coooool!!

    brought back memories of fresh & tender coconut that the “bhaiya” used to top for us in Bombay.

  4. Swapna on March 25th, 2007 3:21 am

    Sig,
    This is the first time I am visiting your blog and I loved all your recipes.
    I love coconut water..Esp. the malai in the coconut..That’s a cool, clever drink..
    Swaps

  5. sunita's world on March 25th, 2007 12:57 pm

    Sig, I love this drink…we call it daab narikolor paani in Assamese…I want some now…

  6. Freya and Paul on March 25th, 2007 3:47 pm

    This looks wonderfully refreshing! I wish we could get coconut water here…

  7. Sig on March 25th, 2007 5:07 pm

    Nupur, thanks so much for this event, I wouldn’t even have tried this if it wasn’t for the letter I. I actually ended up making a tender coconut pudding and Siv made a cocktail with the coconut water, all because I bought tender coconuts for your event. :)

    Sushma,yeah I had to rake my brain to come up with the I entry. :)

    Richa, yeah tender coconut does bring back lot of memories, We also had a bhaiya next to our school gate selling these.

    Swapna, Welcome to my blog. Malai is the pulp right, yeah that is my favorite part too, after drinking the water, break up the coconut and scoop up the pulp. Yumm…

    Sunita, that is a nice name.. too bad “D” is already done :). So I assume Narikolor is the word for coconut?

    Freya, if you have any Asian market in your neighborhood, they might carry fresh coconuts… Some asian stores carry canned coconut water, will make a nice base for a cocktail.

  8. bee on March 25th, 2007 6:07 pm

    that looks like what i need right now.

  9. Sig on March 25th, 2007 6:26 pm

    lol bee, that pic just cracks me up whenever I see it…

  10. Pravs on March 27th, 2007 4:12 am

    This is awesome. i think i will go for seconds and thirds and more. Oh i miss all the coconut trees in kerala now.

  11. musical on March 29th, 2007 8:16 pm

    Love it, love it, love it.

    The first thing i ask for at a Thai restuarant is for coconut water (currently the only source for decent coconut water).

    Simple and sweet recipe and very refreshing.

  12. Sheela on April 1st, 2007 2:52 am

    How I would love to have some ilaneer right now. Hard to find them in Denver. I tasted the canned ones from the Asian store, horrible!!

  13. Anil P on April 2nd, 2007 6:19 pm

    Try Sol Kadi made using Kokum and coconut milk the way they make it Goa. It’s unforgettable.

  14. Inji Pennu on May 1st, 2007 10:34 pm

    This is pretty cool! Great. I need to try this.Wow!

  15. Suppiah on November 3rd, 2007 1:13 am

    Is ilaner is good to control diabetis (any cilinical proof - web page please)?

  16. Gerald (Jerry) Landis on November 23rd, 2007 7:36 pm

    I like coconut water mixed with coconut
    milk as a breakfast drink.

    Blessings.

  17. One Hot Mushroom Chettinad : Live To Eat on February 19th, 2008 11:54 pm

    […] specifically made for Nupur. If it wasn’t for Nupur, I’d have never made dishes like Ilaneer drink, that became a favorite summer […]

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