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 eclecticIsmat.Tahseen@timesgroup.comMeghna.Mukherjee@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 Kasmin.Fernandes@timesgroup.com3 Ladies Capri s& WalletPolo T-Shirt , Gym Bag & WatchCushion Covers& 2 FootmatSize: SI M/ L/ XL