Surprise Your People with Home Made Pan Beeda

Paan (Hind), beeda (Tamil) is a type of chewing preparation, served after food to improve digestion, using shredded Areca nut (Areca catechu) betel nut (supari or adakka), Calcium or lime paste (chuna) and other spicy ingredients wrapped in a triangular package using Betel leaf (Piper betle) and held together with a clove. Sometimes, based on the request and requirement, the betel leaf is also filled with powdered tobacco with spices.

Health Benefits of Pan

Normally the Indian meal has to be followed by pan beeda. Ayurveda considers pan (without toxic substances like tobacco) chewing keeps mouth clean, strengthens the voice, tongue and teeth and guards against diseases. It enhances digestion and purifies blood. The lime helps woman folk as a direct source of calcium to improve their calcium deficiency. The Katha, a red substance derived from the wood of the tree acacia catechu, is applied on betel leaf to improve our saliva color into deep red. The Katha is also an astringent and disinfectant.

Betel Leaf Species and Quality

There are three different types of betel leaves: (a). Kalkatta betel leaf is very heavily flavored, broader in shape and is more suitable for pan beeda preparation and it appears in dark green color; (b). Banarasileaf is also broader and looks lighter green color; and (c). Maggai leaf is available in both shades but it’s much more smaller in size than both Kalkatta leaf. Pan Beeda makers prefer Kalkatta leaves for pan beeda. Apart from these there are betel leaf species grown in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. The karuppu betel leaf (dark green in color) is very pungent and strong in taste where as the other species madras betel leaf (pale green in color) is mild in taste.

The betel leaves are stored wrapped in a moist, red colored cloth called “shaal-baaf”, inside a bronze (or any other metal) casket called, “PaanDaani”. There are many different varieties of Pan Preparations.

Have you noticed the pan making skill exhibited by your paanwala? You might have surprised to see the art of pan making, storing and serving. Do you know the kind of pan prepared by panwalas? Yes. There are varieties and variations in adding spices and tobacco in specific. The varieties include:

1. Sada Pan: this preparation does include minimum spices and does not include sweet substances and tobacco power varieties.
2. Meetha Pan: this preparation does include minimum spices and sweet substances and does not include tobacco power varieties.
3. Special Meetha Pan: this preparation does include rich spices and sweet substances and does not include tobacco power varieties
4. 120 Pan: this preparation does include minimum spices, 120 tobacco powder, and sweet substances (on request basis)
5. 160 Pan: this preparation does include minimum spices, 160 tobacco powder, and sweet substances (on request basis)
6. 300 Pan: this preparation does include minimum spices, 300 tobacco powder, and sweet substances (on request basis)
7. 600 Pan: this preparation does include minimum spices, 600 tobacco powder, and sweet substances (on request basis)

Recipe: 1

Sweet Pan Beeda or Meeta (sweet) Beeda Or Meetha (sweet) Paan

1. To start with select a good mature betel leaf. Ensure that the betel leaf on bending should bend and not to crack. Just turn the the reverse side and De-vein it with the help of a thin knife.
2. Apply a small quantity of lime solution and Katha solution. Instead you may sprinkle fine, dry Khatha powder on the the leaf. There are two Katha types. Dark brown Katha is cheap and earthy in taste. There is a very light variety of Katha which is biscuit / fawn brown in color and has no earthy taste.
   Mix both for good taste and apply it.
3. Marination of betel leaf: Allow it to dry for some 5 to 10 minutes. The Katha once dried turns the surface of the leaf into blood red color.
4. Add fine sliced Raw Supari pieces or readily available branded Roasted Supari
5. Add sweet Chutney made from sugar, Menthol etc
6. Also add Dry star powder (Highly aromatic powder which is sweet)
7. Also add clove or elachi
8. Also add Dhana Daal (a preparation from coriander seeds)
9. Also add Copra powder and saunf
10. You may add Jeera +Menthol sweet sugar coated silver/colored beads
11. Finally add Gulkand
12. Next step involves packaging. Just fold the filled in betel leaf from one side and hold it with your finger and fold the other end and hold it. Now carefully turn the third side to close. Take care of the fillings and don’t let them to spill out. Take care to get a triangular shape. Make it tight and compact. Now carefully insert a clove to serve as a pin and to hold the package intact. called PAN , is now folded from two sided and finally from top like lid.
13. If you desire, you may encase it using a silver foil called Varaq
14. Preserve it in a cool container
15. Serve it in a plate along with banana

Avoid Tobacco

Health campaigners are warning about oral cancer due to tobacco chewing. So let us not encourage our near and dear to consume tobacco along with pan. Let us remember and remind others that tobacco is harmful and carcinogenic substance. Environmentalists are against spitting at common places. So pan chewers must take care to spit only at Dust bins.

Surprise Your People

Now you learned the art of pan making. You may surprise your family members or guests with pan prepared by you. You may also teach your friends about pan making during get-together. Who knows you become the celebrity soon.