PAAN PUDDING

Paan Pudding is more than just a dessert—it’s a nostalgic trip down memory lane, reinvented with a modern twist. Imagine the comforting and familiar taste of meetha paan, but in a creamy, decadent form that’s perfect for special occasions like Diwali. Growing up in India, paan was always synonymous with celebrations—whether it was a grand wedding, a festive family gathering, or even a simple post-dinner treat from the local paanwaala. Each bite carried the refreshing flavors of betel leaves, the sweetness of gulkand, and the lingering fragrance of fennel and cardamom, making it a delightful end to any meal.

But what if you could capture that same experience in a sophisticated dessert, elevating it to a show-stopping centerpiece for your festive table? Enter Paan Pudding—a fusion dessert that blends the best of traditional Indian flavors with the creamy, silky texture of a classic pudding. It’s a dessert that pays homage to the timeless charm of paan while offering a refreshing change from the usual mithai. With each spoonful, you get a burst of the quintessential paan flavor, with a luscious, melt-in-your-mouth consistency that leaves you craving more.

This recipe is part of my ongoing quest to explore creative ways to turn everyday favorites into unexpected delights. And with its vibrant green color, aromatic sweetness, and festive garnishes like silver leaf and rose petals, Paan Pudding is just what you need to add that touch of grandeur and surprise to your Diwali spread.

This delightful fusion of flavors promises to evoke memories and create new ones, making it the perfect ending to your festive feast.

WHAT YOU’LL LOVE ABOUT THIS RECIPE

• No oven
• Easy to make
• Festive friendly
• Eggless

INGREDIENTS USED IN PAAN PUDDING

• Fennel seeds(Saunf)

Fennel seeds are a classic component of traditional paan. Including them in the pudding helps replicate the authentic flavor of paan, making this dessert reminiscent of enjoying a real paan experience.

Fennel seeds have a sweet, slightly earthy, and aromatic flavor that complements the betel leaves and gulkand. Fennel seeds are known for their digestive benefits, making them a natural fit for desserts like this that are often served at the end of a meal. Including them adds a refreshing touch and helps in digestion, aligning with the traditional use of paan as a post-meal palate cleanser.

• Cardamom pods

Cardamom is a quintessential spice used in many Indian sweets, and its inclusion in this pudding keeps the dessert rooted in traditional flavors while also elevating it with a fusion twist. Cardamom has a unique, sweet, and slightly spicy aroma that brings warmth and richness to the dessert. This helps in balancing the freshness of the betel leaves and the floral sweetness of gulkand.

• Gulkand

Gulkand is a sweet preserve made from rose petals. Gulkand imparts a gentle, floral sweetness to the pudding that is more nuanced than regular sugar. This unique sweetness blends well with the other ingredients like fennel, betel leaves, and cardamom, creating a well-rounded, aromatic flavor profile. Gulkand has a slightly sticky, jam-like texture, which adds richness and smoothness to the pudding. It helps bind the ingredients when blended and ensures a luscious mouthfeel in the final product. The use of gulkand ties the dessert to its Indian roots and adds a touch of festivity, making it suitable for special occasions like Diwali or other celebrations.

• Betel leaves

Betel leaves, or paan patta, are the core ingredient that defines the unique flavor profile of this Paan Pudding. They lend a distinctive taste and aroma, making this dessert a delightful blend of traditional Indian flavors with a modern twist. They have a distinct, slightly peppery, and minty taste, along with subtle earthy and herbal undertones, which are essential in replicating the authentic experience of eating a traditional paan. The aroma enhances the overall sensory experience, making the pudding smell as good as it tastes.

The vibrant green hue of betel leaves gives the pudding its distinctive green tint, especially when a drop of food color is added to enhance it further.

Paan is typically consumed as a mouth freshener after meals. In this pudding, the slight astringency and minty aftertaste of the betel leaves leave a refreshing feel on the palate, similar to the effect of eating paan.

• Milk

Milk serves as the base liquid in the recipe, forming the primary foundation of the pudding. Its smooth and creamy consistency is essential for creating the rich texture typical of puddings and custard-based desserts. This creaminess balances the distinct flavors of betel leaves, gulkand, and cardamom, making the dessert more palatable and smooth.

When combined with the cornflour slurry, the milk helps thicken the mixture, giving the pudding its set, custard-like texture. Without milk, the cornflour alone would result in a thicker, paste-like consistency rather than the smooth, pourable mixture needed for a pudding.

• Cornflour

The main role of cornflour in this recipe is to thicken the milk mixture, transforming it from a thin liquid into a smooth, custard-like consistency. When combined with milk and heated, cornflour gelatinizes, creating a creamy, set texture that gives the pudding its structure.

Cornflour is flavor-neutral, which means it doesn’t interfere with the delicate balance of the paan flavors, cardamom, fennel, and gulkand. Instead, it allows these flavors to shine without adding its own taste, making it ideal for this type of fusion dessert. Cornflour helps prevent the separation of milk proteins during the cooking process, ensuring that the pudding doesn’t curdle or split. This results in a cohesive mixture that sets evenly in the ramekins.

• Sugar

Sugar is the primary sweetener in this recipe, counteracting the natural bitterness of the betel leaves and the slight spiciness of cardamom and fennel seeds. It helps to balance the herbal and earthy notes of the paan flavors, ensuring that the pudding has a pleasant, well-rounded taste. Sugar competes with the cornflour molecules for water during the cooking process, which helps control the thickness of the pudding. This prevents the pudding from becoming too stiff or gelatinous, resulting in a creamy consistency.

The herbal and slightly astringent aftertaste of betel leaves can sometimes linger. Sugar masks and softens this aftertaste, ensuring that the dessert leaves a pleasant, sweet flavor on the palate.

EQUIPMENTS USED FOR MAKING PAAN PUDDING

A correct proportion of all the ingredients will guarantee the best taste, so you will need measuring spoons and measuring cups to measure quantities of the various ingredients.

Mixing bowls are equally important while baking to combine ingredients and make batters.

Spatulas and whisks are my favourite tools and I use then as much as the measuring cups and spoons.

You will also need a blender to make the paan mixture. For making the pudding mixture, I’ve used a Stahl saucepan.

You will need glass ramekins to assemble the dessert.

TIPS TO MAKE PAAN PUDDING

1. Use fresh, tender betel leaves for a vibrant and aromatic flavor. Make sure to remove the thick stem of the leaf, as it can add bitterness to the pudding.
2. If you want a stronger rose flavor, feel free to increase the quantity by a tablespoon.
3. Blend the soaked spices, betel leaves, and gulkand until the mixture is smooth and no large pieces are visible. You can also strain the mixture to ensure no fibers from the leaves affect the texture.
4. When heating the milk and adding the cornflour slurry, stir constantly to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan and to avoid any lumps.
5. Taste the mixture before pouring into ramekins and adjust the sweetness as needed, since different brands of gulkand can vary in sugar content.
6. If using green gel food color, start with just one drop and mix well. You can add more if needed, but a little goes a long way.
7. For best results, let it chill overnight for a firmer texture and more developed flavors.

OTHER RELATED RECIPES FROM THE BLOG

• MALPUA THANDAI PUDDING

• EGGLESS DIWALI MACARONS

• THANDAI CUSTARD CUPS

PAAN PUDDING

 

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Ingredients

• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 2 cardamom pods
• ¼ cup water, hot
• 2 betel leaves(paan patta)
• 1 tbsp gulkand
• 1+ ½ cup milk
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tbsp corn flour
• 1-2 drops green gel food colour
• For the garnish
• Silver leaf
• Rose petals

Instructions

1. Soak fennel seeds and cardamom in ¼ cup hot water and let it rest for 30 mins.
2. Transfer the entire mixture with the water to the blender jar and also add in betel leaves and gulkand.
3. Blend the mixture on high speed till smooth and completely blended.
4. Next, make a cornflour slurry by combining ½ cup milk and 2 tbsp cornflour really well.
5. Add 1 cup of milk, sugar and paan mixture in a saucepan set over medium heat and cook till the sugar melts. You can add the food colour at this stage.
6. ⁠Now, add in the cornflour slurry and whisk till the mixture comes to a boil and starts to thicken.
7. ⁠Pour the hot mixture into heat safe ramekins till ¾th filled and refrigerate for 2 hours to let it set.
8. ⁠Garnish it with silver leaf and fresh rose petals before serving.

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If you like my easy Paan Pudding recipe and happen to make them in your kitchen, , do tag me on Instagram and share pictures with me using #Bakewithshivesh. Happy Baking!