Whole poppy seeds: Popping up everywhere

NT Features

We love poppy seeds for their distinctive flavour and simply irresistible crunch.They have been part of traditional ingredients in sub-continental and Middle Eastern foods for thousands of years.

In more recent years, their popularity has spread. People have been using them in recipes such as breads, desserts, curries, milky drinks. In desserts like cakes, pancakes, waffles it is used for fillings, glazing, toppings, and crusting.

You can also add a nutty crunch to your fruits or salads, by sprinkling a teaspoon or two of poppy seeds in the dressing.

The seeds come from the poppy plant. Poppy seeds are rich sources of a number of nutrients, such as protein, fibre, and calcium. Poppy seeds can be ground using a generic tool such as a mortar and pestle or a small domestic type electric blade grinder, or a special purpose poppy seed grinder.

In gravies
In the North, poppy seeds are mainly used to thicken sauces adding a nutty texture to gravies known as korma. In Bengali cuisine, the seeds become an ingredient in their own right and are used in a number of dishes where the seeds are ground and used in dishes with potatoes, prawns and chicken.

Adding flavour
Most often associated with bagels and breads, poppy seeds tend to be forgotten among the other seeds we use when cooking. But poppy seeds add an amazing flavour and distinctive crunch to foods making the dishes special.

Indian cooking
In Indian cooking white poppy seeds are ground and mixed with some liquid to thicken and add texture to dishes and are a commonly used ingredient in gravies and aloo (potato) dishes. Whole poppy seeds are also commonly sprinkled over unleavened naan bread and rotis and are also used in mango chutneys.

In bakes
The poppy seed paste is used for fillings in pastries, sometimes mixed with butter or milk and sugar. The ground filling is used in poppy seed rolls and some croissants and may be flavoured with lemon or orange zest, rum and vanilla with raisins, heavy cream, cinnamon, and chopped blanched almonds or walnuts added.

For sweet baked goods, sometimes instead of sugar a tablespoon of jam, or other sweet binding agent, like syrup is substituted. The poppy seed for fillings are best when they are finely and freshly ground because this will make a big difference in the pastry filling’s texture and taste.