Each evening when we take Meera for a walk, we stop by the Poornima Juice Center on Colaba Causeway, for their freshly squeezed ganna ras (sugarcane juice). At 8 rupees (16 cents, US) a glass, it’s a steal. Meera greedily gulps it too. As a baby, this was the first juice we gave her. This goes superbly well after ingesting some spicy vada pav, or batatavada. See this photo essay on making jaggery from sugarcane juice, in rural karnataka.
This pic is from last November, when Pakistani terrorists struck havoc in Colaba. Then this store (right across the main street from Leopold Cafe) stayed closed during the curfew. When it re-opened, I was one of the early customers and this kid was happy to serve me. Such small family businesses were hurt most by the terror strikes and associated curfew.
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Arun Shanbhag 
Indian Natural Drink Packed Sugar Cane Juice
“Production Technology”
A scientific technology, developed for the production of packed sugar cane juice as instant natural fat free drink, is transferable to ambitious entrepreneurs ready to launch it as a food industry as per local rules of law. Business seekers are safe to capitalize on the industrialization of cane juice as food and medicinal supplement as well because
• Packed juice is natural, hygienic and cheaper than all synthetic drinks in market
• Shelf life of packed juice is now longer than 16 weeks allowing distant marketing
• Food quality being stable allows it to be available around the year to consumer in remote areas too.
• Food values are superior providing nutrients like
1 Haem forming Iron
2 Bone forming calcium and phosphorus
3 Body building amino acids and proteins
4 Health promoting Vitamins
5 Energy rich sugars
6 Life sustaining water
Juice of sugar cane is well known as curing agent in several body disorders like jaundice , hemorrhagic diseases , hyper acidity, epitasis , scrofula etc
Contact
Dr K.P.Sharma
Sugar Cane Scientist (Retd)
Punjab Agriculture University
Email kulsalone@yahoo.co.in
Thank you for sharing this valuable information about sugar cane juice.
Wishing you the best.
Arun
thank u very much for providing lot of scientific information . now i am planing to start large scale cane juice packaging unit plz give me details regarding this.
Yummy! Miss this a lot here in the US. Esp. during summer.
Props for the photo of the boy in the end. What a beautiful face he has!
Thank you Sampada:
Yes, a handsome boy! I kept seeing him there all the time and had to get this pic.
Once I asked him, why he isn’t in school ~ he replied that he was from gaon and only visiting here! I have not seen him there since Jan, so perhaps he returned back to gaon.
and btw, there is a vada pav stall right next to this –
so, get a spicy vada pav and wash it down with fresh ganna!
Arun
How delicious it must have been!..its been ages since I had this..we somehow don’t have such clean shops when it comes to sugarcane juice!
Nice to know about Meera…where are her recent pictures?
Sri – thank you for your comment, and sorry for the delayed reply. Just missed this one!
In mUmbai, it is a very popular drink and you can easily find clean ones. This one is a few minutes from our home where we grew up, so we know this place very well;
and yes, after yours and shilpa’s comment I did post new Meera pics! :-))
Thank you
Arun
The sugarcane used in Taiwan has a dark purple color skin. The sugarcane juice is a popular summer drink. The people also chew the sugracane to get the juice. The skin has to be peeled frist since it is quick thick.
THank you Steve for sharing your experience. Interesting with the purple skin.
and yes, as kids we used to chew the sugarcane bits as well. And as you pointed out, the skin was removed and small pieces were sold on street corners ~ I haven’t seen those around lately!
… and btw, the jaws would ache after chewing too much sugarcane!
thank you for your comment.
Arun
Ah, made my mouth water!
ha ha! mine too!
thank you
Arun
Ahhhh…I miss sugarcane juice. We have a Indian store here who serves the juice, I have to go there and drink some now.
When we were kids, aayi mixed it with ginger(and green chillies i think) and gave us. Yummm….
Was hoping for a picture of Meera drinking juice 🙂
Thank you Shilpa:
Green chillies is an interesting twist – never tried that; On my next visit will ask the guy to add that 😉
Ok, posted that Meera pic for you!
:-))
Arun
PS, I actually have a video of Meera sipping Nimbu-soda; interesting to see her expression! later.
Hope you are doing well.
Arun
I love kobbache juice so much… We do get sugar cane here.. but not the freshly squeezed juice.. I love it with fresh ginger flavour in it.. When we were in college me and my friend used to go for a walk in the afternoon after lunch and have a tall glass of chilled sugarcane juice..I wish I could have had some right now
Thank you Ujwal!
Yes, you can see the guy put a piece of lemon while squeezing; normally they also add a piece of ginger! Fabulous and refreshing!
we do get it in one of the Indian stores, but the sugarcane looks very sickly 😐
Will just have to wait till I’m back in mumbai.
Arun