Poppy Seed Kheer Recipe

If someone has to work a lot and has body pain, grandmothers in India used to give a delicious sweet before going to bed. This sweet or dessert will have one main ingredient namely “poppy seeds”.  Poppy seeds are also commonly known as khus-khus or gasa gase. Very pleasant and nutty poppy seeds are good for health.  They are packed with various nutrients. More importantly dried poppy seeds contain very small levels of opium alkaloids – morphine, thebaine, codiene, papaverine etc. When consumed with other foods these compounds produce minimal effect on the human nervous system. On the contrary, these chemicals found to have some beneficial effects on the human body; soothe nervous irritability, act as pain killers. Its seed extractions found useful in pharmacy and in many traditional medicines in the preparations of cough mixtures, expectorants, etc. Apart from these alkaloids, poppy seeds contain good levels of minerals like iron, copper, calcium, potassium, manganese, zinc and magnesium.

Try this simple, traditional and healthy kheer recipe to get rid of pain from those aching muscle and relax. One will also get good sleep after consuming this relaxing kheer.

Ingredients for 4 people, serving size one cup/person. Preparation time 30 minutes (except ingredient soaking part) 

1. Poppy seeds – 2 Tbs
2. Raw rice – 2 teaspoons
3. Fresh grated coconut – 1 cup
4. Crushed Jaggery – 1 cup (one can use sugar, but jaggery gives best taste)
5. Cardamom – 5-7
6. Cashew – 15
7. Raisin – 1/4 cup
8. Saffron – Little

Preparation:

1. Clean and Soak poppy seeds, raw rice and a few of the cashews in water for about two hours.
2. Grate coconut, crush jaggery, peal and powder cardamom and keep it aside.
3. Grind the soaked ingredients along with grated coconut in a grinder by adding little water.
4. After fine grinding strain and extract the milk from grinded mix by adding little water.
5. In a vessel, under low flame add crushed jaggery and 2 cups of water. Allow jaggery to dissolve.
6. Now add the strained coconut – poppy – rice milk to jaggery and bring it to boil. Do not forget to stir the contents continuously.
7. In a spatula take one spoon full clarified butter of ghee and place on low flame. Add cashews and fry till they turn golden brown. Now add raisin and fry slightly.
8. Add cashew and raisin to the boiling kheer.
9. Add saffron and serve hot during meal or after meal.

Recipe: www.werindia.com

Image: WerIndia