Paan shots recipe – this paan sharbat drink is an cooling and refreshing summer drink made from paan or betel leaves.
This paan shots recipe was shared by my mom. She had seen this drink on some tv channel. she has made it so many times since then and recommended me highly too make it. every time I met her or called her, she had to ask me whether I made this paan drink. I always said no.
Finally, I decided to make and glad I did. I brought the fresh paan leaves from a flower shop to make these. If you live in India, you can easily get these betel leaves from a paan shop or a flower market.
So as you see by the title, This paan shots drink is made from paan or betel leaves. the leaves are pureed. betel leaves have complex flavors. You have to taste it to experience what I am saying. They have a hint of everything… Sweet, bitter, astringent, lemony, minty and so many other flavors.
Here the sweetener used is Gulkand – rose petal preserve which is made in India. Gulkand is a cooling ingredient and is recommended as well as used in some ayurvedic medicines. Apart from these two cooling ingredients, the third cooling one is Sabza or basil seeds. sabza is added in many Indian drinks like:
In the absence of Gulkand, use sugar and add some rose syrup or Rooh afza. in the pic below you see the pureed betel leaves, the soaked basil seeds and the Gulkand. the Gulkand was removed from the fridge and was frozen.
And lastly milk is added. I have used Almond milk. all these made this Paan sharbat super cooling and very refreshing. not to forget its healthy too. The drink tastes similar to Falooda. the drink has a faint green color with the myriad paan flavors coupled with rose fragrance & flavors.
I had no idea that betel leaves can be used in such a way. I always know that betel leaves are usually used in India to make paan – a formulation with various stuff that makes these very addictive and with adverse health effects. The adverse side affects is mainly because of the addition of areca nut/Supari in the Paan.
Whereas, Betel leaves has got many medicinal properties and is used for last 2000 years in south east asian countries. They helps in curing respiratory disorders like bad breath and cough. They also help during headaches and constipation and also have diuretic properties. betal leaves are known for their aromatic stimulant properties.
Overall, I would recommend you to try this paan sharbat, If you love experimenting and open for new drinks with an acquired taste like Jal jeera. it has a little unusual taste. Indians who have eaten paan will immediately recognize the paan taste in this drink. If you love eating paan then I am sure you will like this drink.
If you are looking for more Beverages then do check:
Paan shots recipe below:
Paan Shots
INGREDIENTS
- 6 to 7 betel leaves (paan) - gives approx ⅓ or ½ cup of puree
- 4 cups chilled cow's milk or almond milk or 3 cups of milk + 1 cup chilled water
- ½ tablespoon sabza seeds (basil seeds) soaked in enough water
- 1 tablespoon rose syrup or rooh afza (optional)
- 4 to 5 tablespoon gulkand or as required
- 2 to 3 tablespoon of chopped dry fruits - almonds, pistachios, cashews, dry figs etc (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Rinse the betel leaves well in water.
- In a small blender, puree the betel leaves with some water.
- In a bowl or jar, mix the betel leaves puree and almond milk. Stir well.
- Now add the gulkand and stir well again.
- Strain the soaked sabza seeds and add these.
- Stir in the rose syrup or rooh afza.
- Add the chopped dry fruits.
- Mix well and serve the paan shots drink in tall glasses.
- You can also chill the drink and serve paan shots later.
Hi Dassana, it’s such a wonderful recipe, I m so excited at the concept of using paan leaves, I had to thank you, even before it’s made, will try it very soon!!????
thanks ashwini. do try and let me know how the recipe goes for you.
Hi, I was not sure but is not paan dangerous for health? Is there any paan which is harmless to health where can I find recipe? Also this gulkand paan shake is it healthy?
paan as in only the leaf is good for health. its the betel nut/supari which is not good for health. you can use the paan leaves in drinks like these or even in milkshakes, ice creams and kulfi. gulkaand pan shake is good for the body. if the sugar intake is an issue, then add honey or jaggery powder instead of gulkand.
Hi dassana, love ur recipes to the core. My daughter loves ur milkshake n fruit juice recipes. The step by step explanation is so easy n convenient. Thanks again for the recipe.
welcome deepa. glad to know this.
Hi dassana, I love ur recipes n all of them a simple n the step by step explanation is very useful. I have tried many recipe’s n all have come out gud. Thanks again for all the milkshake n fruit juice recipes as my daughter is loving it.
welcome deepa. glad to know this. thanks for sharing positive feedback.
Hi dassana, I’m the new follower of your blog and also new to cooking world. Have tried few recipes from your blog and was all clicked. Thanks to your step by step explanation. Today I tried paan gulkand drink the taste was more of gulkand though i added everything in quantity you mentioned and also the color of drink was light brown. What would be the reason? How to retain the green color of paan? Thanks
thanks akshath for the feedback. the light brown color is because of the gulkand. the gulkand must be highly concentrated and thats why it overpowered the paan flavors. next time when you prepare, add 2 to 3 more of the paan. also depends which paan you used. for retaining green color of pan, what you can adda few drops of lemon juice while grinding the paan leaves.
Super duper very helping
thanks rvashi
What is gulkand?
dipa, gulkand is rose petal preserve usually added in paan or sweets. can also be added to milk based beverages. kids will love to have it plain. its easily available in market or in ayurveda shops. it has jam like consistency and very cooling for body. excellent for summers. if you live in india then you can order from baba ramdev website also – patanjaliayurved.net
Your recipe sounds quite interesting 🙂
For a similar drink, i had tried making a puree by grinding betel leaves with some water in a blender but that did not work. I found pieces of betel leaves separate with water turned a little green instead of a smooth puree like yours.
What did I do wrong?
Waiting for your help 😀
amrita, you can use a chutney grinder for grinding the betel leaves with very little water, almost like a chutney. otherwise you need a very powerful blender.
Your receipes are just toooo goood.
How can I get all of them in a book or printouts
thanks jigna. we don’t have a book yet. you can use the print option in recipes.
I want to know which type of pan leaves are used in this drink
rita, i have used the pan leaves which i got in local market. i think it must be banarasi pan.
Hi,
This recipe is just awesome.made it for a small get together n it was a big hit.though I
Did few alteration like added sauf ,elaichi n vanilla ice cream n skipped sabja seeds.
After a heavy meal this drink is just perfect for any party.
Thank you so much dasaana . Whenever I get compliment for my cooking I always mention
It’s because of u n this lovely blog.many of my friends n relatives have started following u.
Thanks again.
welcome vibha. thanks for introducing the blog to your friends. your inputs will encourage other readers to alter the recipe as per their taste.
Good 1
Hi There,
I enjoy your recipes.. thank you for your ideas… your pics makes it look even easier to try them out..
In this one.. at what stage do you add the gulkand?
hi priya, you add the gulkand after you add the milk. will update in the post too. thanks.
hiiiii dassana,
tried this out…taste was divine….did one mistake used the blender …coz of this cream appeared in milk…thanks a lot…i just came across ur blog n tried paneer butter masala …i just can’t stop myself from trying more of ur recipes…simple descriptive n delicious…hearty thanks to u
thanks kirti for trying this recipe as well. blender is alright. may be the the milk got blended too much, hence the cream. however even with the cream, the drink is delicious 🙂
do try some more recipes 🙂
Such a refreshing dish! 🙂
I have tasted it in a restaurant and it was very refreshing. Though my husband did not like it.
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
this drink has little unusual taste and some people will like it and some will not.
Very new to me, sounds really interesting. Lovely shots
I just love this and is called as Pan shots in many restaurants in Mumbai,best way to finish up the meal..I too make this and I use vanilla ice cream and avoid sabza seeds,I wish I could get a shot now..
thanks prathibha. nice to know more about this paan drink. i think paan shot is a better name to this drink as it has a punch.
Lovely drink. Something I would die for 🙂
Been having subza in Delhi heat with all possible herb iced teas, works wonders.
Looks gorgeous,first time I’m seeing betel leaves being used this way!
Very healthy drink. Surely will give a try
I have been wanting to try something different with pan and this will be the first thing that I would want to make
I loved this….got to collect pan leaves to try this for sure….am bookmarking…this is sure a rich dish with calcium as for i know because of pan leaves