... the guests, some chewing paan, were departing at the gate; ... (p. 23)
Paan refers to Betel leaves usually filled with areca nuts. Other ingredients such as spices or tobacco may be used to make the paan filling. In South and South East Asia, people chew paan to cleanse their palates and to freshen their breath.
Chewing Betel leaves with areca nuts is an extremely old tradition in South and South East Asia. In India, paan is often served at the end of meals and ceremonies, such as weddings.
References:
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Kachauri, Laddu, Barfi
Servants ... brought around fruit jice and tea and coffee and snacks to those who were standing in the garden: samosas, kachauris, laddus, gulab-jamuns, barfis and gajak and ice-cream were consumed and replenished along with puris and six kinds of vegetables. (p. 15)
Kachauri, or kachori, is a spicy fried snack. It is usually a round or flattened ball of flour dough stuffed with baked yellow moong dal mixed with other ingredients and spices.
Laddu, or laddoo, is an Indian sweet. Dough made from flour and other ingredients is shaped into balls and dipped in sugar syrup. Many variations exist.
Barfi, a traditional sweet in Northern India, is made by cooking condensed milk and sugar until the mixture solidifies. It is often flavored or garnished by nuts such as cashews, pistachios, or almonds. Many varieties of flavors exist.
You can find my notes on gulab-jamuns and gajak in this old post.
References:
Kachauri, or kachori, is a spicy fried snack. It is usually a round or flattened ball of flour dough stuffed with baked yellow moong dal mixed with other ingredients and spices.
Laddu, or laddoo, is an Indian sweet. Dough made from flour and other ingredients is shaped into balls and dipped in sugar syrup. Many variations exist.
Barfi, a traditional sweet in Northern India, is made by cooking condensed milk and sugar until the mixture solidifies. It is often flavored or garnished by nuts such as cashews, pistachios, or almonds. Many varieties of flavors exist.
You can find my notes on gulab-jamuns and gajak in this old post.
References:
Monday, October 13, 2008
Indian Sweets
‘…they have made such delicitious gulab-jamuns, but owing to my diabetes I cannot eat them even after the ceremonies. I am not even allowed gajak, which is so difficult to resist in winter.’ (p. 4)
Gulab-jamun is a popular Indian dessert. Fried balls of reduced milk and flour are soaked in sugar syrup flavored with rosewater or saffron. The sweet is often eaten at festivals and celebrations, so it is not surprising that it is being offered at Savita’s and Pran’s wedding.
Gajak is another Indian sweet, usually made with sesame seeds. There are a variety of gajak recipes available on the web, but not many descriptions. So I am still looking for information on why this dessert appeals so much more during the winter months as opposed to other seasons.
References:
Gulab-jamun is a popular Indian dessert. Fried balls of reduced milk and flour are soaked in sugar syrup flavored with rosewater or saffron. The sweet is often eaten at festivals and celebrations, so it is not surprising that it is being offered at Savita’s and Pran’s wedding.
Gajak is another Indian sweet, usually made with sesame seeds. There are a variety of gajak recipes available on the web, but not many descriptions. So I am still looking for information on why this dessert appeals so much more during the winter months as opposed to other seasons.
References:
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