Gasagase (Poppy seed) Payasa

Payasa is a common term for kheer-like, sweet dish made with jaggery and popular in South India. It is prepared with different ingredients like moong dhal (refer hesarubele payasa), broken wheat, sooji, etc. Here we feature another variant with Gasagase or poppy seeds. It is mostly made on special occasions or festivals. Poppy seeds are known to have a cooling effect and induce sleep, perfect thing to do after a sumptuous festive meal !

Category : South Indian Sweet dish

INGREDIENTS:

Jaggery : to taste

Milk/condensed milk : 1-2 tbsp (optional)

Saffron : few strands

Nutmeg powder : a pinch (optional)

For grinding:

Poppy seeds (khus khus) : 2- 3 tbsp

Rice : 1 tsp

Cardamom : 1 pod

Coconut : 1-2 cups, grated

Cashew /almonds : handful

METHOD :

Dissolve jaggery in boiling water and filter to remove any debris. Dry roast poppy seeds with rice and cardamom till poppy seeds turn slightly brown in color, and you can get the fragrance. Add water and let it soak (preferably for about 30 min). Grind it with coconut, cashew/almonds to a very fine paste. Boil the jaggery syrup add the ground paste and mix well, to prevent formation of clumps. When it boils add milk/condensed milk, saffron, nutmeg. Adjust taste with more jaggery or milk. Turn off heat and serve hot with ghee or chilled. Cashews and raisins fried in ghee can be added while serving to enhance taste.

Vegan payasa can be prepared without milk/condensed milk.

TIPS : You could roast and soak poppy seeds overnight to save time.

Preparation time : ~30 min (excluding soaking time)

INFORMATION

Vegan : Yes (without milk)

Gluten free: YES

Calories:

1 cup (250 g) = 345 Cal

NUTRITIVE VALUE :

Poppy seeds are rich in fiber, healthy fats, and several micronutrients. In particular, they’re an excellent source of manganese, a trace element important for bone health and blood clotting. This mineral also helps your body utilize amino acids, fats and carbs.

HEALTH BENEFITS :

Poppy seeds are reported to have several health benefits; Improvement of Fertility, Fighting insomnia, Bone Strength, Improved Digestion, Efficient Cure of Mouth Ulcers, Regulation of Blood Pressure, eyes health, in treating Kidney Stones, etc

ORIGIN :

Papaver somniferum, commonly known as the opium poppy or breadseed poppy, belongs to the family Papaveraceae. There are 52 botanical varieties

Use of poppy seeds dates back to the Neolithic age. Images of opium poppies have been found in ancient Sumerian artifacts (circa 4000 BC). The making and use of opium was known to the ancient Minoans. Its sap was later named opion by the ancient Greeks, from where it gained its modern name of opium.

The native range of opium poppy is probably the Eastern Mediterranean. It is grown in almost all countries with suitable, temperate climates.

WATER FOOTPRINT: Poppy seeds : 2188 L/Kg

DID YOU KNOW :

Opium poppy is the plant from which both opium and poppy seeds are derived and is also a valuable ornamental plant.

Opium is dried latex obtained from scratching the immature, globular seed pods of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) plant. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which is processed chemically to produce heroin and other synthetic opioids for medicinal use and for the illegal drug trade.

Turkey is a major producer and India the importer of poppy seeds as a food product. Australia (Tasmania), Turkey and India are the major producers of poppy for medicinal purposes and poppy-based drugs, such as morphine or codeine.

REFERENCES :

Wikipedia

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/poppy-seeds-health-benefits#1.-Rich-in-nutrients-and-antioxidants

https://waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/Report47-WaterFootprintCrops-Vol1.pdf

https://pharmeasy.in/blog/12-amazing-benefits-of-poppy-seeds-khus-khus/