Ellu Juice | Sesame Milkshake

This sesame milkshake was prepared yesterday noon. The original post that was planned for this series of Journey Through The Cuisines for the alphabet E was traditional one. I was desperate to do that post but as luck would have it, I could not source the ingredients that went into it. And I did not want to post it sans those.

I did not give up my search until late last morning. Finally I accepted the fact that the dish that I planned was not going to happen and with very less time to look for a new dish, I searched a few Karnataka cuisine based food blogs and found this simple juice/ milkshake recipe with sesame seeds.

From what I read in those blogs, this is a popular summer cooler served in juice stalls and around college campuses.Since this was seen in many of those blogs, I have taken this to be a Karnataka dish.

It is an easy to make beverage which tasted delicious when we tasted it chilled. There are variations in the method of preparation and the ingredients.Here is my version from what I gathered from all those blogs.

I used:

Ellu / White sesame seeds- 1/2 cup
Thengin Thuri /Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Bella / Grated / powdered jaggery - 1/2 cup / adjust to taste
Yalakki /Cardamom seeds from 1 pod
Haalu /Milk-2 cup

Lightly toast the sesame seeds. Grind it together with cardamom seeds, jaggery and coconut. Add water and grind to a smooth paste.Transfer it into a vessel and add milk.Mix well and serve chilled

Delicious sesame milkshake is ready to be savored...

I topped it with a pinch of chia seeds.

Note:

Tastes best when served chilled
You can omit the coconut if you do not wish to use it
The milkshake can be filtered before serving if you do not like the gritty sesame seeds in the drink.
To make the vegan version, substitute milk with soy/almond milk / water.