Indian Paan and Falooda: A Mouthwatering Explainer

When Sanjay Dodhi opened Durga’s Paan and Falooda House in Harris Park in 2012, it was the first of its kind; there was no other paan shop in Australia. Fast-forward ten years and his business is as busy as ever — when we visited in June, a group of tourists from Melbourne had made the trip specially, and were waiting outside for the shop to open! But what are these two Indian treats? And when should they be eaten? Discover it all below. 
 

Falooda

Falooda is a sweet Indian drink-dessert with roots in the Persian dessert faloodeh. It’s made in layers, one by one, from syrup, milk, basil seeds, falooda (arrowroot and rice noodles, not vermicelli as commonly thought), jelly, ice-cream, nuts and tooty frooty. It's best enjoyed post-dinner as a dessert or as a sweet treat during the day, and can be found all over India. There are many varieties of falooda but at Durga’s, Sanjay offers rose, pista (pistachio), saffron, chocolate and kulfi iterations. Our tip? Take a group of friends and get a flavour each! What does it take to make a good falooda, we asked Sanjay: “Me!” 

Paan

Paan, conversely, is a spice-laden digestion aid and mouth freshener, that’s also somewhat of a dessert. Like falooda, paan can be found all over India and is made in a variety of forms. In a nutshell, plain paan is a betel leaf brushed with catechu, topped with a single cardamom pod, coriander seeds, fennel and sugar-coated fennel seeds, sweet supari, rose petal jam and coconut, then folded into a neat, one-bite triangular package. A taste bud explosion.
 
Each component serves a purpose and aids a different ailment. Betel leaves are said to help a sore throat and coughs, catechu for mouth ulcers, cardamom for blood pressure, coriander and fennel seeds to enhance flavour, sweet supari for sweetness, rose petal jam to cool body temperature and coconut for flavour and balance. 

Opt for a paan at the very end of your meal, after dessert, to satisfy lingering sweet cravings and to set things right in your stomach and get your digestion on track!

Keen to try falooda or paan? Durga’s at 3/14-20 Station Street East, Harris Park, is the place to make it happen. It’s just three minutes from Harris Park station and right next door to Chatkazz. Dessert, anyone?