Something that is reminiscent of those, desert cool wintery winds in Karachi are these poppy seed pooris which are my Dadi’s (Dad’s mom) recipe – something handed down generations in my Dad’s family. I won’t forget the last time she ever made these for me, it was one of those cool crisp Sunday winter brunchs at her place where the entire family gathered to eat over the family dining table, munching raw green chilli’s with potato bhaji and these pooris, washed down with cardamom cooked chai.

This recipe lends it’s decent from the times of the Mughal’s when poppy seeds together with saffron, cream and pistachio’s made it only on the Emperor’s menu. With aphrodisiac and sleep inducing properties, not to mention it’s well-known ‘sedative‘ properties, it’s not a wonder why this was such a favourite of the Mughal emperors! But the humble poppy seed predates to the Sumerians and had never lost it’s use in history. It add a texture and indefinable flavour that enhances food like no other seed can. I know that for me this puri reminds me of cold winter mornings when it’s best eaten with a spicy potato bhujia and some semolina (suji) halva and even equally as delicious eaten with a some green chutney. The poppy seeds in Pakistan are of a whitish colour – and you can find these in Asian shops, unlike the usual blackish seed available in most shops.

White poppy seed and green chilli puris

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo of unbleached wholemeal flour (atta) – you can buy this in Indian shops

2 tbsp white poppy seeds and 2 tbsp of black poppy seeds

Water to make a paste and soak poppy seeds

Ghee to fry

Salt to taste

2-3 green chillies

1 inch piece of ginger

1 tbpn cumin seeds – dry roasted before grinding

Makes about 5 – 8 puris

Method:

1. Soak the poppy seeds for 24 hours and then drain the water. Grind the poppy seeds with green chilli, ginger and dry roasted cumin seeds.

2. Add a pinch of salt to the wholemeal flour and put in a glass bowl and make a well. Pour enough water to make a dough. Once you have kneaded it sufficiently, add a knob of ghee it the dough. Cover dough in bowl with cling film and leave for an hour.

3. Make walnut size balls with the dough and roll out with the rolling pin to make a small thick circle. Now add the poppy seed mixture to this and collect the sides and close it up ensuring that the mixture can not escape. Now roll out again into small thin 4×4 inch circles.

4. In a deep pan, heat up oil (do this before you roll out the poori’s, so that the oil is sufficiently hot, then turn down the heat to maintain temperature).

5. Pop the puri’s one by one in the hot oil and when you first put it in, press the poori down with a ladle, into the oil and then quickly turn over and then allow to cook well. A trick to know when it’s done is when it floats to the top. The poori should be very pale brown and crispy. Take out and drain on kitchen paper.

6. Keep warm in a soft cloth and serve with my Aniseed Potato Bhaji or Semolina Halva and some cool Greek yogurt and some green chutney.