Chocolate Paan + Recipe (variation 1)

History of Indian cuisine dates back to nearly 5,000-years ago when various groups and cultures interacted with India that led to a diversity of flavours and regional cuisines.

Indian cuisine comprises of a number of regional cuisines. The diversity in soil type, climate, culture, ethnic group and occupations, these cuisines differ from each other mainly due to the use of locally available spices, herbs, vegetables and fruits. Indian food is also influenced by religious and cultural choices and traditions.

Foreign invasions, trade relations and colonialism had introduced certain foods to the country like potato, chillies and breadfruit and paan can be considered as one of them.

As of late there has been a trend of fusion food and "Paan Chocolate" is one of them.

Paan (from Sanskrit parṇa meaning "leaf") is a preparation combining betel leaf with areca nut widely consumed throughout South Asia, Southeast Asia and Taiwan.It is chewedfor its stimulant and psychoactive effects.After chewing it is either spat out or swallowed. Paan has many variations. Slaked lime (chunnam) paste is commonly added to bind the leaves. Some South Asian preparations include katha paste or mukhwasto freshen the breath.

The origin and diffusion of paan (betel chewing) remains a somewhat unresolved issue since there is little unequivocal evidence to support the very early dates often quoted, though botanical evidence strongly suggests that the areca palm was not native to South Asia.Paan (under a variety of names) is also consumed in many other Asian countries and elsewhere in the world by some Asian emigrants, with or without tobacco.

Benefits:

According to traditional Ayurvedic medicine, chewing betel leaf is a remedy against bad breath (halitosis)

From using it in prayers and religious ceremonies to eating it in the form of a 'paan', betel leaves contain many curative and healing health benefits. The leaves are full of vitamins like vitamin C, thiamine, niacin, riboflavin and carotene and are a great source of calcium.

Ingredients:

• Dark chocolate 
• White chocolate 
• Colour (optional)
• Ganache rose flavored 
• Chocolate sauce dark 
• Calcutta paan /paan
• Fennel seeds (saunf) sweetened for the stuffing 
• Betel nut slivered for the stuffing 
• Almonds slivered for the stuffing (optional) 
• Fresh cream and cherry (optional) 
• Rose essence 
• Rose petals chopped

Recipe:

Paan gulkand Recipe:

Trim the stems of the pan leaves and set aside in the refrigerator to chill. On the leaves apply the dark chocolate sauce evenly with a finger and set aside.

For the ganache, mix melted chocolate, fresh cream, rose essence and finely chopped rose petals and set aside. Now take the pan leaves, on each sprinkle a few fennel seeds, betel nut slivers, almond slivers and green cardamom seeds.

Chocolate Paan Recipe:

• First coat your moulds (half) with white chocolate or coloured white chocolate as per desire and let it cool. 
• Prepare the gulkand mix as stated above.
• Then add the gulkand mix to the white chocolate coated moulds.
• Then side by side heat dark chocolate and fill the remaining mould with dark chocolate.
• Let it cool once the chocolate hardens your paan chocolate is ready.