Paan Shot - Refreshing Indian Drink

Step 1: Prepare Betel Leaves

Take 7-8 Calcutta paan leaves, wash them thoroughly, and wipe them dry. Cut the leaves into small pieces using scissors or a knife.

Step 2: Grind Dry Ingredients

In a mixer grinder, add 1/4 cup fennel seeds, 1/4 cup rock sugar, 1/4 cup desiccated coconut, and 5 green cardamoms. Grind these dry ingredients into a fine powder. This step ensures the fennel seeds are finely ground before adding wet ingredients.

Step 3: Prepare Paan Premix

To the ground dry mixture, add the cut paan leaves, 1/4 cup gulkand, 2 ice cubes, a few drops of green food color (optional, for a vibrant green), and a little cold water. Blend everything into a smooth, thick paste. The ice cubes help maintain the green color of the paan leaves. This is your paan premix.

Step 4: Prepare Custard Milk

Take 500 ml of full-fat cream milk in a saucepan. Remove about 1/4 cup of this milk and set aside (for mixing custard powder). Add 1/4 cup sugar to the remaining milk in the saucepan and heat it until it comes to a boil.

Step 5: Mix Custard Powder

In the 1/4 cup of cold milk that was set aside, add 2 teaspoons of custard powder. Mix well until there are no lumps. This ensures a smooth custard when added to hot milk.

Step 6: Thicken Custard

Once the milk in the saucepan boils, slowly pour in the custard powder mixture while continuously stirring to prevent lumps. Cook for just one boil until the mixture thickens slightly and the raw taste of custard powder is gone. Turn off the gas.

Step 7: Chill Custard Base

Let the custard mixture cool down to room temperature. Once cooled, transfer it to a bowl and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes, or until it is very cold. If any lumps form, you can blend it in a mixer after it cools.

Step 8: Combine and Chill Paan Shot

Take 1 cup of fresh cream (malai), add a little milk, and blend it lightly in a mixer until smooth. Add this fresh cream to the chilled custard base. Then, add two spoonfuls of the prepared paan premix to the custard and cream mixture. Mix everything thoroughly until the mixture achieves a uniform pista green color. Cover the bowl and chill it in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes to ensure it's perfectly cold.

Step 9: Serve and Garnish

After chilling for 30 minutes, remove the Paan Shot mixture from the fridge. Pour the chilled Paan Shot into serving glasses. Garnish with dried rose petals and colorful fennel seeds (saunf goli) for an attractive presentation. Serve immediately and enjoy!

• Use Calcutta paan leaves for a darker green color and authentic flavor.

• Grind dry ingredients (fennel, rock sugar, coconut, cardamom) first to ensure a fine powder.

• Adding ice cubes while blending the paan leaves helps retain their vibrant green color.

• Always mix custard powder with cold milk to prevent lumps.

• If lumps form in the custard mixture, blend it in a mixer after it has cooled.

• The paan premix can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one month.

• Substitute rock sugar with regular granulated sugar if preferred.

• Use cardamom powder instead of whole green cardamoms for convenience.

• For a richer and quicker version, use vanilla ice cream instead of preparing custard.

• Adjust the amount of sugar and gulkand according to your sweetness preference.