Banarasi Paan Meetha After Meal Sweet

Method

1. 1

   Select the right betel leaves: Betel leaves for meetha (sweet) paan should be tender and not too large — about the size of your palm. The leaves should be smooth, green and undamaged. Avoid yellow or damaged leaves. Banarasi paan uses a specific local variety of betel leaf called Banarasi patta which is sweeter and more fragrant than other varieties.

2. 2

   Clean the betel leaves: Wipe each betel leaf gently with a clean damp cloth to remove any dust. Do not wash with water — wet leaves make the paan slip and are harder to fold. Remove the tough central stem from the back of each leaf by pressing it firmly and pulling it downward — it will peel away cleanly.

3. 3

   Prepare the gulkand: Gulkand is a preserve made from fresh rose petals mixed with sugar and aged for several weeks. It has a sweet, fragrant, dark pink colour and a complex floral-sweet flavour. Place 2 tbsp gulkand in a small bowl. Add a few drops of rose water and a pinch of saffron if using. Mix gently.

4. 4

   Mix the filling ingredients: In a small bowl combine the grated coconut, cardamom powder, plain fennel seeds, sweetened fennel seeds. Mix together. This is the dry filling that goes into each paan.

5. 5

   Lay a betel leaf flat: Place one cleaned betel leaf shiny-side down on a flat surface, wide end facing you.

6. 6

   Add fillings to the leaf: Place a small spoonful of gulkand (about 1/2 tsp) in the centre of the leaf. Sprinkle 1 to 1.5 tsp of the dry filling mixture on top of the gulkand.

7. 7

   Fold the right side: Fold the right side of the leaf over the filling toward the centre.

8. 8

   Fold the left side: Fold the left side over the right, creating a cone shape. The filling should be enclosed inside.

9. 9

   Fold the bottom point up: Fold the bottom pointed end of the leaf upward to close the cone. The paan is now a tight triangle shape. Press firmly to hold the shape.

10. 10

    Seal with a clove and serve: Push one clove through the top of the folded triangle like a pin to hold everything together. Place on a small plate. The paan is eaten whole — place the entire triangle in your mouth at once. Serve immediately after a meal.

11. 11

    Note: Banarasi Paan is the most well-known after-meal tradition of Varanasi (Banaras) in Uttar Pradesh. Paan shops line every street in Varanasi and the master paan-makers (paanwale) are local celebrities. The Banarasi paan is specifically the sweet (meetha) variety — not the tobacco-based variety. Gulkand in the paan is believed to cool the body, aid digestion and freshen the breath. Chewing paan after a meal has been a custom across North India and Pakistan for centuries.