This was on my cards; the recipe had waited long enough, as an entry in my recipe diary and it was about time I made this dessert.If you are wondering, how it tastes like, I would use a term to describe it, that I heard in the movie “Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory”, “its scrumdiddlyumptious”. I can’t get over the taste of this ice-cream. One of my dear friends “Chaya Ratnaparkhi” had shared this recipe with me some time ago. I had discussed this recipe with Pranay and how we should be preparing this ice-cream sooner than later. Finally, last Sunday we decided to make it.
This ice-cream is special because it brings together two very different flavors and combines them, and the output is a recipe that you can proudly boast of in front of your friends and family. We combine ice-cream and paan to make a prized dessert recipe.
Well let me first share some information about paan. Paan or betel leaf has a great significance pan India. It has a great religious importance in Hindu rituals and Puja. It is said in some Indian folk songs that Lord Shiva and Parvati themselves sowed the seeds of Paan in Himalayas. It is also described as the seat of the Goddess Lakshmi (Hindu goddess for wealth). Paan is divided into 3 parts; the tip of the paan signifies the longevity, base signifies fame and the middle portion is for goddess Lakshmi (wealth), and hence it is forbidden to chew the middle portion of paan. This leaf has a great medicinal importance too. As per Ayurveda Practitioners, paan can be used to cure phlegm, bile related issues. It is also used to cure severe headaches. Betel leaf is often associated with passion and is an aphrodisiac and also used as a mouth freshener.
Beside the religious and medicinal importance that this leaf carries, it also has a great social significance in this part of world. It is deeply ingrained in our social fabric- so deeply ingrained that its usage is not restricted to any particular region, religion, caste but it cuts across all these barriers and is used by most Indians who likes to eat it for different reasons. Paan is so popular that Bollywood chose to create many songs about this leaf. Vendors selling Paan is a very common sight on Indian streets. These vendors are commonly known as Paanwalas or Panwadis. They are present at every nook and corner of Indian streets and in fact these shops often turn into battle ground of political, sports, religious, social and various other debates between paan connoisseurs. It’s a fun sight to watch these people debate with their mouth stuffed to the brim and words coming out of their mouth with great difficulty.
Many people still believe that paan is only used as stimulant or for psychoactive effects. However this widespread notion is not true. When Paan is combined with tobacco, you may witness these adverse effects, but most of us do not eat Paan that way. We eat Paan as a mouth freshener, which combines shavings of areca nut, sweetened coconut, rose petal jam, lime (edible calcium carbonate), Cardamom, Camphor, Roasted fennel seeds, Nutmeg, Anise seeds, Licorice, Almond Cashew, Pistachio, fruit preserves. These Paans are commonly known as Meetha Paan or sweet Paan. There are different varieties of Paan available at the Paanwala, and you must specify your preference. The 3 of the most common varieties are Banarasi, Calcutta and Maghai Paans.
We have chosen Calcutta meetha paan for our recipe. You can chose other meetha paan if you so desire. However, you must remember to ask your paanwala to skip adding betel nut and Catechu (Katta) to the Paan. Make this recipe for your family and friends and let us know if they get pleasantly surprised after eating a dessert which would seem to them like a mouth freshener.
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 3-4
- 1) 7 Calcutta Meetha(Sweet) Paan (betel leaf).You may also use Maghai Paan. However the Paan should be without Kattha (Catechu) and betel nut
- 2) 500 ml whipping cream
- 3) 125 ml full fat milk (raw)
- 4) 80 grams milk powder
- Churn all the meetha paans into fine thick paste.Avoid water while churning, instead use 2-3 tbsp of whipping cream.
- Whip the whipping cream on low-medium speed of the hand blender until soft peak forms.
- Once the cream is whipped, add all the remaining ingredients and mix them all well.
- After mixing, we wil blend again using the hand blender on low speed for couple of minutes to get rid of the lumps formed in the ice cream mixture.
- Now we must refrigerate the ice-cream mixture for minimum 12 hours or upto 24 hours.
- After 24 hours, remove the ice cream from the freezer, and let it sit for 15 mins. We must blend the mixture again to break the ice particles and make the ice cream slushy.
- Post blending refrigerate the ice cream blend for 6-8 hours in any shape of your choice (Kulfi mould/matka/kullad).
- After 8 hours, Ice cream is ready to be served
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