And we celebrated Deepavali/Diwali. The traditional oil bathing and hogging on sweet dishes marked the celebrations for us. This is the time when we miss our family and home country so much. Visiting relatives, exchanging sweets with neighbours and friends, drawing large Rangolis at the doorstep, eating mom-made sweets and savouries, traditional Deepavali lunch, lighting diyas on the porch and walls and the non-stop sound of fire crackers from all around are things that I terribly missed:(
Thinking back to my childhood days, I remember me and my brother preparing a week or two in advance for the celebrations. We would plan the firecrackers we would like to have and my parents took us shopping for new clothes. Dad would order a big box of fire crackers for us and we would burst them on three nights with family and friends. Not to mention, the holidays for school:) The only thing that we used to regret was to wake up early for the traditional oil bath. But the thought of fire crackers after the bath used to be enough to drag us out of bed. Thinking of them now, makes me nostalgic and the pain of growing up hits really hard.
Today's recipe is one of the dishes I made during Diwali. It is a traditional Payasa which is served as a dessert. Ghasa gase/Khus-Khus or white poppy seeds are widely used in Indian cooking. They have a cooling effect on the body. It is recommended in Ayurveda, when suffering from body pain, back ache etc and to provide relief from menstruation pain. It provides a great relief from aches and pains, soothes the muscles and helps in getting a good night's sleep. The narcotic, Opium is obtained from these seeds! Now we know why it relaxes and makes you sleepy!
Here I have slightly fried the poppy seeds and ground them. It can also be prepared by soaking the poppy seeds in water for a couple of hours and then grinding them. So here goes the recipe. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
75 grams white Poppy seeds/khus-khus/Gasa gase
2 heaped tablespoons of Jaggery/palm sugar grated
1 tbsp grated coconut
100 ml milk
150 ml thick coconut milk
1 tsp powdered cardamom
a handful of raisins and cashewnuts
little ghee for frying
Recipe:
In a pan roast the poppy sees on low heat for 5-6 mins (till you get a nice smell and the poppy seeds turn slightly brown in color)
Grind this to a smooth paste along with grated coconut adding little water.
Heat milk in a pan. To this add jaggery and keep stirring on low heat till jaggery melts. Now add the ground paste along with the coconut milk and bring to a boil.
Now add the powdered cardamom and boil for about 5-6 mins stirring continuously. While boiling the mixture becomes thick. You can add water or coconut milk to get the consistency of your choice. Switch off the heat and pour to a serving dish.
Heat little ghee in a small pan. Fry the cashews in it till they turn a light brown in color. Fry the raisins till they puff up. Pour over the payasam before serving.
This can be served hot or cold.
Serves:5-6
Time Required:30 mins
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