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FOOD
SPECIAL KHAIKE PAAN ICE WALA!
The
Paan Benaras has gotten a makeover. From helping you digest food to cooling
you down, here’s how best to enjoy the betel leaf this summer...
Who
doesn’t love the explosion of tangy fennel, sharp cloves and sweet gulkand
wrapped in a refreshing betel leaf in the mouth? But this time, there’s
more than one reason to tuck into a paan. It comes with a dose of good
health too. Once had as an after-dinner treat — in sada or meetha — the
paan is now proposing remedies for everything from cures for a bad throat
to digestive relief, in delicious new avatars. Kids are relishing the new
icy paans in mango, strawberry and chocolate flavours. Check out what
Mumbai has to offer…
SUMMER COOLER
This time, paans are the new coolants. At Ghantawala Pan Mandir in Borivali
that was set up in 1933, you’re bound to ‘chill’ after a few bites of its
specialty — the Ice Paan. This one is crushed ice in a betel leaf and as
you chew on it, the ice shavings merge with ingredients like thandai,
elaichi and gulab paani. “It’s not for those with a sensitive throat,
though,” laughs owner Vinod Kumar Tiwari. Buying paan here also has a
special quirky note. Tiwari has a collection of over 450 bells collected
over the last 19 years and rings a bell every time he has made a paan for
someone. He has made it to a book of world records for possessing the
largest collection of bells. “Over 80% of the bells are gifts from customers,”
he says proudly.
Another cooling paan doing brisk business is the
Rose Paan from the 27-year-old Yash Prakash Paan shop at Chowpatty, that
has a specially-made gulkand with real rose petals in meetha and saada.
Supari can be added for taste. “The chilled flavoured paans are also very
popular,” says owner Rahul Om Prakash Chaurasia.
DIABETICS KE LIYE
Here, they also do a customised ‘sugar-free paan’ with no chutney, or
gulkand. It has katha, chuna, star (fragrant powder with mint and amla) and
light supari, in special or saada,” adds Chaurasia. Another paan hotspot,
Muchhad Paanwala at Breach Candy, has a solution. It’s the Disco Paan. It
has just a slight amount of gulkand and won’t spike sugar levels . “This
paan is smaller, it has khus-khus, sandal paste, chuna, katha, khopra,
gulkand just for taste, and star mukhwas, for the zaika,” informs Lakhan
Kumar Tiwari of the shop. A must-try is the meetha paan, infused with
coconut, that’s best had chilled.
THROAT-SOOTHING PAANS
Head to Muchhad’s if you’re looking for some sore throat relief. His Khaasi
Wala Paan with mulethi (said to alleviate throat ache), plus lavang,
elaichi, thandak and hari patti can be just what the doctor ordered. “I
tell people if they have it once a day they will feel better,” adds Tiwari.
Another cure might lie at Mishra Pan Bhandar at Juhu, in their ‘Mooh se
Chaala Nikalnewala Paan’, made with masala, mulethi, and thandak. We also
do a Maghai Jodi with special chutney and
multhi, which helps,” says Mishra.
HELPS DIGESTION
Along with the above, there’s also a hot demand for
digestive relief paans. At the old Volga Paan House at
Fountain, in addition to their Kimam (supari, katha chuna) Paan and Meetha
(with rose petal powder) they have a ‘Khana Hazam Paan’, with meetha,
gulkand, saunf, dhaniya dal and khajur. “It must be eaten chilled,” says
stall manager Dinesh.
SIZE MATTERS
Throwing a party? Just go for Muchhad’s ¾ kilo Family Paan, that needs
to be cut like a cake. “People order it for birthdays and other gatherings,”
adds Lakhan. “It’s got 10-15 varieties of chutney so it’s very fragrant.
Plus, it has khajur, gulkand, coconut, salli and chandi varq supari. You
can smell it from the other room, when it’s cut,” he says. The other biggie
is the Paratha Paan at Bangali Paan Shop, Linking Road Bandra. This paan —
that looks like bhelpuri — gets its name from its size and has masala and
chopped patta.
PAANS FOR PARTIES
Other favourites include fruity paans in pineapple, strawberry,
raatrani, plus others in dryfruit. A big sellout is the Chocolate Paan with
chips and khus syrup. Ghantawala has a ‘Samosa Meetha’ that actually
resembles a samosa and comes in different flavours, plus a Chappan Bhog,
made using 56 different ingredients! The sheer variety is sure to please the
palate. Munch on!
HEALTH BENEFITS
The betel leaf, also commonly called as ‘paan ka patta’ in India is in
use right from the ancient times for a number of health reasons. It is
packed with multiple nutritional benefits, says clinical dietician Zainab
Gulamhusein. She presents a few of them…. It is packed with fibre, vitamin
C and A (Beta-carotene), minerals i.e. calcium, thiamine, niacin,
riboflavin, calcium and iron and helps detoxify and cleanse your system. It
has been known to aid digestion, reduce bad breath, cure ulcers, give
relief from cough as well as abdominal pain, cramps and indigestion. Betel
leaf can also be pounded and juice can be mixed with haldi
(turmeric)/honey/rose water, which serves as a coolant to the stomach and
gives relief from flatulence. Paan can be chewed plainly, which helps one
to get the maximum benefit out of it as while chewing it, the saliva which
is produced aids in the process of quick digestion. Upon chewing, the betel
leaf induces the secretion of saliva. It also stimulates the secretion of
digestive juices, which bring about the process of digestion. It gives
relief from acidity.
HOW ABOUT PAAN ICE CREAM OR PAAN
SHOTS?
Paan shots (where you gulp down a betel leaf concoction from a small shot
glass) to digest your meal that were introduced to the city by Jiggs Kalra,
became a much talked-about après dinner bite. Says foodie Zamir Khan, “Now,
you also have Paan Flavoured Candy Floss as well as Paan Puri, which is
paan flavoured ice cream made in-house in a golgappa shell. Paan is
intrinsically Indian and it is most consumed post a meal. Having it
differently like this adds to the fun.”
START CHEWING!
Paan can be consumed as a mukhwas after meals, had as a mouth freshner
or added to your chapati dough. It can also be added as a garnish to your
soups and salads.
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