THURSDAY 1 MAY 2014 BOMBAY TIMES, THE TIMES OF INDIA12
VARIETYWhodoesntlovetheexplosionof tangyfennel, sharpcloves and
sweet gulkand wrapped in a refreshing betelleaf in the mouth? But
this time, theres more than onereason to tuck into a paan. It comes
with a dose of good healthtoo. Once had as an after-dinner treat in
sada or meetha the paan is now proposing remedies for
everythingfrom cures for a bad throat to digestive relief, in
deli-ciousnewavatars. Kidsarerelishingthenewicypaans in mango,
strawberry and chocolate flavours.Check out what Mumbai has to
offer SUMMER COOLERThistime, paansarethenewcoolants.
AtGhantawalaPanMandirinBorivalithatwassetup in 1933, youre bound to
chillafterafewbitesof itsspecialtytheIcePaan. Thisoneiscrushed ice
in a betel leaf andas you chew on it, the ice
shav-ingsmergewithingredientslikethandai, elaichiandgulabpaani. Its
not for those with asensitivethroat,
though,laughsownerVinodKumarTiwari. Buying paan here alsohas a
special quirky note. Tiwarihas a collection of over 450
bellscollected over the last 19 years and rings a bell every time
he hasmadeapaanforsomeone. Hehasmadeittoabookof worldrecords for
possessing the largest collection of bells. Over 80%of the bells
are gifts from customers, he says
proudly.AnothercoolingpaandoingbriskbusinessistheRosePaanfrom the
27-year-old Yash Prakash Paan shop at Chowpatty, thathas a
specially-made gulkand with real rose petals in meetha andsaada.
Supari can be added for taste. The chilled flavoured
paansarealsoverypopular, saysownerRahulOmPrakashChaurasia.DIABETICS
KE LIYEHere, they also do a customised sugar-free paan with no
chutney,or gulkand. It has katha, chuna, star (fragrant powder with
mintand amla) and light supari, in special or saada, adds
Chaurasia.Anotherpaanhotspot, MuchhadPaanwalaatBreachCandy,has a
solution. Its the Disco Paan. It has just a slight amountof gulkand
and wont spike sugar levels . This paan issmaller, it has
khus-khus, sandal paste, chuna, katha,khopra, gulkand just for
taste, and star mukhwas, forthe zaika, informs Lakhan Kumar Tiwari
of theshop. A must-try is the meetha paan, infused withcoconut,
thats best had chilled.THROAT-SOOTHING PAANSHeadtoMuchhadsif
yourelookingforsomesorethroat relief. His Khaasi Wala Paan with
mulethi (saidtoalleviatethroatache), pluslavang, elaichi,
thandakand hari patti can be just what the doctor ordered. I
tellpeopleif theyhaveitonceadaytheywillfeelbetter,addsTiwari.
AnothercuremightlieatMishraPanBhandar at Juhu, in their Mooh se
Chaala NikalnewalaPaan, made with masala, mulethi, and thandak. We
alsodo a Maghai Jodi with special chutney andmulthi, which helps,
says Mishra.HELPS DIGESTIONAlongwiththeabove,
theresalsoahotdemandfordigestivereliefpaans. At the old Volga
PaanHouseatFountain,
inaddi-tiontotheirKimam(supari,kathachuna)PaanandMeetha(withrosepetalpowder)theyhaveaKhanaHazamPaan,withmeetha,
gulkand,saunf, dhaniyadalandkhajur. Itmustbeeatenchilled,
saysstallmanager Dinesh.KHAIKE PAAN ICE WALA!The Paan Benaras has
gotten a makeover. From helping you digest food to coolingyou down,
heres how best to enjoy the betel leaf this summer...Paan shots
(where you gulp down a betel leaf concoction from a smallshot
glass) to digest your meal that were introduced to the city by
JiggsKalra, becameamuchtalked-aboutaprsdinnerbite. SaysfoodieZamir
Khan, Now, you also have Paan Flavoured Candy Floss as
wellasPaanPuri, whichispaanflavouredicecreammadein-houseina
golgappashell. PaanisintrinsicallyIndiananditismostconsumedpost a
meal. Having it differently like this adds to the
fun.STARTCHEWING!Paan can beconsumed as amukhwas aftermeals, had
asa mouth fresh-ner or addedto your chapatidough. It canalso be
addedas a garnish toyour soups andsalads. HOW ABOUT PAAN ICE CREAM
OR PAAN SHOTS?HEALTH BENEFITSThe betel leaf, also commonly called
as paan ka patta in India is in
userightfromtheancienttimesforanumberof healthreasons.
Itispackedwithmultiplenutritionalbenefits,
saysclinicaldieticianZainab Gulamhusein. She presents a few of
them.IIt is packed with fibre, vitamin C and A (Beta-carotene),
minerals i.e.calcium, thiamine, niacin, riboflavin,
calciumandironandhelpsdetoxify and cleanse your system.IIt has been
known to aid digestion, reduce bad breath, cure ulcers,give relief
from cough as well as abdominal pain, cramps and indi-gestion.
Betel leaf can also be pounded and juice can be mixed withhaldi
(turmeric)/honey/rose water, which serves as a coolant to
thestomach and gives relief from
flatulence.IPaancanbechewedplainly, whichhelpsonetogetthemaximum
benefit out of it as while chewing it, the saliva which is produced
aidsintheprocessof quickdigestion. Uponchewing,
thebetelleafinducesthesecretionof saliva.
Italsostimulatesthesecretionofdigestive juices, which bring about
the process of digestion.IIt gives relief from acidity.PAANS FOR
PARTIES Otherfavouritesincludefruitypaans in pineapple,
strawberry,raatrani, plusothersindryfruit.
AbigselloutistheChocolate Paan with chips andkhussyrup.
GhantawalahasaSamosaMeetha thatactuallyresembles a samosa and
comesindifferentflavours, plusaChappanBhog, madeusing56different
ingredients! The sheervarietyissuretopleasethepalate. Munch on!
SIZE MATTERSThrowingaparty?JustgoforMuchhadskiloFamily Paan, that
needs to be cut like a cake.
Peopleorderitforbirthdaysandothergatherings, addsLakhan.
Itsgot10-15varietiesof chutneysoitsvery fragrant. Plus, it has
khajur, gulkand, coconut,salli and chandi varq supari. You can
smell it fromthe other room, when its cut,he says. The other
big-gieistheParathaPaanatBangaliPaanShop,LinkingRoadBandra.
Thispaanthatlookslike bhelpuri gets its name from its size andhas
masala and chopped patta.Paan stalls like this one at Turner Road,
Bandraare a quintessential part of the citys street cor-ners. The
varieties delicious as they are
[email protected]@timesgroup.comIce
creamwith paanPaanshotsWant a SamosaMeetha Paan?TheParathaPaan
Pics: Tejas Kudtarkar and Anuja GuptaThinkstockPaan on ice makesfor
a summer treatMaghaiJodiChocolate
paanBEETROOTWishtosportthatmaroonorredpout?Optforbeetroot.
Apartfromincreasing the supply of blood in yourbody,
rubbingalittlebeetrootjustbeforeyoustepoutsideyourhousewill give a
nice stain on your lips andthe colour will also stay on for a
goodamount of time. Further, if the coloursubsides,
itwillstillmakeyourlipslook pink.Give your lips a natural stainTo
organically colour your lips, just eat
theseSTRAWBERRIESIfyouwishtogoinforthatpinkornudelipcolour,theresnothingbetterthanrubbingalittlestrawberrypaste
or juice on your lips. Not only will it give your lipsa shine
shade, but will also give it a natural shine thatwill keep your
lips hydrated for a long time.BETEL LEAFPopularlyknownaspaan
inHindi,womenafewdecadesagousedthistocolourtheirlipsontheirweddingday!If
youarerun-ning short of time and just
realisethatyouhaventappliedalipstick,dontpanic. Chewabetelleaf
sothatit gives you a nice pale colour that stayson for a good
duration of time.ROSE PETALSNotjustforthesmell,
rosepetalsarealsoknown to colour your lips. Crush and
grindafewpetalsandmakeapasteoutof
it.Keepthepasteonyourlipsforapproximately10-15minutesandwashitoff.
Thecolourwillstayonfora long time.Pics:
ThinkstockKeepthecolourschemelow contrastThis trick is like an
opticalillusion. Whenthediffer-ence between the colours
ofthewallsismarginal, theeyetendstoglideoversur-faces without a
break. Thismovementdeceivesthemind into thinking that theroom is
bigger than it actu-allyis. So, paintthewalls,flooring, cabinets
and furni-tureinalowcontrastcolourscheme. Thismove-ment tricks you
into think-ing the space is larger thanit really
is.Haveglassdoorsfor
cabinetsAnotherwaytofoolaguestseyeistoreplacewoodenormetaldoorsofcabinetswithplainglass.Thisideaworksbecausethe
eye goes beyond the cab-inetsframesintoitsdepths.
Ensureyourcabi-netisclutter-freeandcolour-coordinatedfromtheinsideandout,
though!Youdontwantgueststopeek into messy storage.Let sunlight
stream inNaturallightmakesanyspaceappearlargerandbrighter. If
youdonthavelargewindowstoletloadsof sunlight in, keep the
win-dowembellishmentsandtreatmentstoaminimum.Forprivacy,
drawanopaque shade so the light isnotblockedbutyourestillDecor
tricks that you can use to make a small kitchen more spacioussafe
from prying eyes.Create space for
storageRecessedshelvesthatsitbetweenthestudsinthe
kitchenhavethedualvalueofprovidingstoragewithouteat-ing into air
space or floor space.Even better if they are
matchedtothewoodenfurniture, sincetheywouldblendwiththedesign.
Donthaveaspotforrecessedshelvesinside your kitchen? Make room in
thepassageway.Use smart floor
coveringsWhileprintedwallandfloorcoveringsmakearoomlookbusy, the
reverse also holds true.Forinstance, floorcoveringswith huge
diamonds create diag-onallinesthatcreatetheillu-sion of width so
the room looksmuch wider.Use slender furnitureChoose lightweight
stools, tablesandchairsthatarelightinweight.
Buyfurniturewithcleanlinessothatyoureyeisnotdistracted.
Buyanopentable so that the floor and wallsare visible.Employ
stripesThisisafashiontrickthatappliestohomedecoraswell.Horizontalstripesmakeaper-sonappearwider,
andaroomtoo. Pickbroadstripedflooringthat runs horizontally to
stretchthefloorspace. Youcangetthesame effect with a huge
stripedrug or by painting wooden floor-ing the same way.Make more
spaceFigure out a way to remove partof
awallthatadjoinsyourkitchentothenextroom. Interms of physical
space, it wontaddmoresquarefeetbutwillenhance the openness and
vast-ness of the room.Get highThisisanotheropticalillusiontrick,
todrawtheeyesupwardsoitincreasestheapparentheightof theceiling.
Putupframedprintsandpaintingsordecorativeplatesaboveyourcabinets.
Again, use objects thatworkwiththebackdropforasense of harmony.Have
sleek surfacesCeramic tiles and stainless steelarejusttwoexamplesof
reflec-tive surfaces which amplify theeffectsof naturallight,
thusmakingyourkitchenappearlarger.
Rememberthatpendantlightsaddatmospherewhileunder-the-cabinet lights
are con-venient for cooking.Do away with clutterNever let your
countertop over-fullwithutensilsorcabinetscrowded with
collectibles.
Thesewillcrampyourkitchen.Eliminateclutterbyclearingcounters and
cabinet tops.Keep things angularLetgeometryguideyourkitchendecor.
Lookforcleanlinesandgeometricanglestoexpandthespace. Anarrowkitchen
with clean-font cabinetshas a crisp look.Beforetheadventof
lipsticks,women would use foods thatwouldcolourtheirlips.
Notonlydotheykeepyourlipshealthy,but also keep the colour on for a
longtime. So, if you wish to ditch chemi-cally-treated lipsticks,
here are a fewoptions for you.Paan freshens thebreath and is said
to have several curative properties
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