POPPY SEEDS or KASH - KASH and SERDAI DRINK

             POPPY SEEDS or KASH-KASH

The poppy plant, Papaver somniferum (Poppy of sleep) originated in the Mediterranean region, and is believed to have come from southern France and Italy. It was cultivated by the ancient Sumerians who called it the “plant of joy”. It spread throughout Europe and to Asia, although the Egyptians didn’t know about it until it was introduced by the Romans. Of course the poppy plant produces opium and the seeds we use in cookery are the ripe seeds from the same plant. However they do not contain narcotic substances. The unripe seeds contain codeine and morphine, which is so valuable in medicine.

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, recognized that they were good to cure insomnia, for inflammation, fever and dysentery. The ancient Greeks believed they were sacred to the god of sleep, Hypnos, rather than his twin brother Morpheus, the god of dreams. They were used as charms and in amulets to bring luck, money and love.

Remains of poppy seeds have been found in Swiss settlements dating to 4000 years ago and Scottish ones, dating back to 2500 years ago. It is one of the oldest condiments there is, along with cumin seeds.

When opium was introduced to the Muslim world, it was quickly adopted, as opium was not haram according to Islam, as alcohol is. It reached South Asia in Mediaeval times, and now India is the only country to legally export it. The Indian poppies are mainly cultivated in Uttar Pradesh and the Indian Punjab.

The flowers range in colour from white to red or lilac. The lilac coloured ones have a dark purple base. The seeds also come in a variety of shade, from black, or dark-blue, to yellow-white. The ones we have in Pakistan are white. The poppy plant grows to heights of between 50 to 150 centimetres tall. At one time they were grown in Mitcham, surrey, until the 1920 Dangerous Drugs Act clamped down on the use of opium based products, so beloved of the fictional character Sherlock Holmes. Laudanum was very popular in the 19th century and was given to children to put them to sleep. There are the obvious English literary figures who used opium, Thomas de Quincey famously admitted to using the narcotic in his book written in 1821,”Confessions of an English Opium-Eater”. Samuel Taylor Coleridge is reputed to have been under the influence of opium when he wrote “Kubla Khan,” of which only a fragment remains. Coleridge refers to it as the ‘milk of paradise’ in these lines
‘For he on honey-dew hath fed
And drunk the milk of paradise’.
Here he is referring to Kubla Khan.
De Quincey writes of ‘the marvelous agency of opium, whether for pleasure or pain,’ and talks of the ‘cloudless serenity’ he felt while in an opium induced state. However it is extremely addictive and its use should not be countenanced.
In cookery poppy seeds can be used to thicken and flavour sauces, blended with tamarind to make a curry paste, and can be boiled in a little water with salt and oil then added to rice to give it a nutty flavour. They are used as a coating for breads and biscuits, of course.
In traditional medicine on the subcontinent they are used to treat coughs and asthma, but because of the narcotic effects of the unripe seeds, these are not used in prolonged treatments. To treat diarrhea, cook poppy seeds with green cardamoms and sugar, strain and drink the liquid. Poppy extracts are used to reduce fever, help in TB treatments and for kidney and liver complaints.
The recipe below is for a milk-based drink which will cool you down when the weather is hot. It is also good for the stomach and an energy booster. If you don’t like milk, you can use water instead.

SERDAI
Ingredients
1 litre milk
30 gr almonds
50 gr poppy seeds
4 green cardamoms, seeds removed and husks discarded
6 black peppercorns
ice
sugar to taste

Method
If the almonds have skins, plunge them in boiling water for a minute or two so that you can easily slip off the skins. Grind the poppy seeds very well. Then grind the cardamom seeds.
Next grind the almonds.
Put the black peppercorns, sugar and milk in a pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, put all the ingredients except ice in it and leave to cool.
Serve with ice.
This has Taste and is a Treat.

LEMON GRASS AND LEMON GRASS TISANE

LEMON GRASS

Lemon Grass is one of the main ingredients in a Thai curry, along with coconut milk and lots of fresh coriander. Its Latin name is Cymbopogon citratus, a relative of Cymbopogon nardus from which we get citronella, the well known ingredient of scented oil and candles which is a natural bug repellant. Lemon grass is also a bug repellant, but not as effective as its citronella relative.

It is native to southern India and Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand. It’s a grass as its name suggests, and grows in large clumps which can grow to 5 feet tall. It’s used in perfumes, traditional medicine and cooking.

In Ayurvedic medicine it is used to get rid of intestinal parasites, for stomach cramps and other digestive problems. It has also been used in the treatment of leprosy, bronchitis and fever. In South America it is used as a mild sedative, when drunk as a tea.

It is being cultivated commercially in Norfolk, UK, which is quite a surprise! Maybe it will be cheaper to buy. If you can get it fresh, the new leaves are good chopped and added to chicken or seafood dishes.

In Pakistan it is normally used dried in a tea with green tea. This has a wonderful flavour, and is very refreshing. It can be used to bring down a temperature as it induces perspiration.


TISANE OF LEMON GRASS
Ingredients

2 tbsps dried lemon grass

2½ cups water
1 tsp lemon juice
sugar to taste


Method
Pour the water into a pan and bring to the boil. Add the lemon grass and boil for 3 minutes. Remove pan from the heat. Cover and leave to stand for 15 minutes. Strain and add lemon juice and sugar to taste. (Makes two cups)
This is good for any stomach problems, and will soothe you if you are feeling fraught.
This has Taste and is a Treat(ment).

SESAME SEEDS or TIL HISTORY: HALVA RECIPE

SESAME SEEDS or TIL in URDU and HINDI
Sesame seeds, or til (pronounced teel) are on of the worlds oldest condiments. Their Latin name is Sesamum indicum which implies that they came from India. There has been much debate about this, some saying they originated in the East Indies, others that they came from Africa, but new evidence suggests that they do indeed come from the Indian subcontinent.
There is an Assyrian myth which relates how the gods drank sesame wine the night before they created Earth (this may explain some anomalies).Sesame seeds were at first not used to cook with, but their oil was used for lighting, and the Chinese used the soot from this oil to make ink for their ink blocks.
We know that the Egyptians used them because they are mentioned in the Ebers papyrus, which listed all herbs and spices known to them in a scroll which was 65 feet long. On the wall of one of the pharaohs’ tombs a picture of a baker mixing sesame seeds with bread was discovered. Even today, we have sesame seeds on bread.
Roman soldiers carried them to give an energy boost when required, and Romans ground them and spread them on their bread in a paste mixed with cumin seeds. They also made biscuits called Itrion with them. Pliny wrote down a recipe for Pear Butter which included sesame seeds. The ancient Greeks mixed them with honey and believed this was an aphrodisiac, and this mixture is still eaten in the Middle East today.
In the story of Ali Baba and the 40 thieves, “Open sesame” was the magic phrase to open the cave that was filled with treasure. It is believed that the phrase is a reference to the way the seed pods explode and eject their seeds. Because they do this, sesame seeds have to be picked by hand before the pods ripen and eject their seeds, and this is what makes sesame seeds expensive- you get about a thousand seeds to one ounce.
These seeds can be black, red, white, yellow and cream. They grow on plants which range from between 18 inches to 5 feet high. The flowers look like foxgloves and range may be white or a pale lavender colour.
Sesame seeds have been used in traditional medicine on the subcontinent for various ailments. They are given to patients with diabetes; to treat constipation (Dioscorides wrote that sesame seeds were good for ‘griefs of the colon’);the oil is used for hair loss and to prevent baldness; it is also used on the skin to keep it young and supple, and to treat boils and other skin diseases. The seeds have cooling properties, so are used to reduce body heat. Sesame oil has powerful antioxidant and antiviral properties. Sometimes children have the oil put around their nostrils to prevent colds.
In Pakistan there are street sellers who go around houses selling the oil to women who use it as a hair conditioner. The oil can also be used to gargle with if you have a sore throat.
The sesame seed is, traditionally, a symbol of immortality, and Hindus put the tila mark on their foreheads.
Medical research has shown that sesame seeds have phytosterols, which lower cholesterol levels; boost the immune system and lower the risk of some cancers. They also have a high copper content and so are thought to be good for arthritis sufferers and the liver’s health.
They are used to make halva in Greece, Turkey the Middle East and the subcontinent, and they are the principal ingredient of tahini paste, from which hummus is made. Of course they are also used in breads, and one good Middle Eastern sweet is sweet fresh dates stuffed with almonds, then rolled in sesame seeds. Also you con make gromasio with them: this is 1 part dry fried sea salt to 12 parts dry fried sesame seeds, ground together, to make a seasoning to add to soups, stews and sauces.
Below is a Pakistani recipe for halva (halwah) which does not include tapioca as is more usual.



HALVA WITH DATES AND SESAME SEEDS
Ingredients
500 gr fresh dates stoned
125 gr sugar
375 gr channa dahl
2 tsps rosewater
50 gr pistachio nuts, crushed
50 gr almonds crushed
50 gr sesame seeds
4 green cardamom pods, husks discarded, only use seeds
250 gr oil


Method
First boil the channa dahl, and when it is cooked blend to a paste with the dates.
Heat oil in a pan, then add paste and fry until it changes colour. Add the sugar and fry till it has dissolved (about 5 mins). Mix in the cardamom seeds and the rose water, stir well place in a serving bowl and garnish with the almonds, pistachio nuts and sesame seeds.
If you want, you can cut it into pieces while it is still hot and then you can eat it whenever you want if you keep it in the fridge after it has completely cooled.
This has Taste and is a Treat.

TASTY CHICKEN KORMA RECIPE

Chicken Korma
Ingredients
½ kilo boneless chicken, cut into pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1 tomato, diced
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 inch ginger root finely chopped
4 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp dried oregano
1tsp turmeric
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup of cooking oil
1 cup coconut milk


Method
Mix all the spices together and cover the chicken pieces on all sides. Fry these in oil for 4-5 mins. Remove the chicken from the pan and put in the onion, ginger, garlic and curry leaf and fry for 3 mins. Add tomato, chillies, spices and seasoning, and cook for 3 mins. Add chicken and coconut milk and cook on a low heat for 20 mins.
Remove from the heat and add the herbs, stirring them into the dish, allow to stand for 5 mins, and it’s ready to serve.
Serve with boiled rice or your choice of breads, pitta, naan, chapattis etc.
This has Taste and is a Treat.

TASTY CHICKEN BIRYANI RECIPE

Chicken Biryani

Ingredients

½ kilo chicken

½ kilo basmati rice
1 large onion, sliced
1 tomato, diced
4 green chillies, chopped
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 inch piece ginger root, chopped
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 curry leaf
1 tbsp thyme
1 handful of mint leaves
1 handful coriander leaves
1 cup cooking oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method
Clean the rice and wash in water. Put oil in a pan and fry onion until brown. Add ginger, garlic and curry leaf and cook for 1 min. Then add chicken, tomatoes, spices, salt, pepper and cook for 5 mins on a low heat. Add 3 large glasses of water and when it begins to boil, pour in the rice, mint and coriander, and stir slowly. Cook until the water is at the same level as the rice. Turn the heat down to its lowest setting, cover with a tight-fitting lid and leave it to cook for 10 mins.
Remove from the heat and allow the dish to stand for 5 mins. Now it is ready to serve.
You can serve it with natural yoghurt or Raita(see recipe).
This has Taste and is a Treat.

SAAG or COOKED GREENS: RECIPE SPINACH SAAG

SAAG or COOKED GREENS

The saag aloo you get in Indian restaurants is probably spinach and potatoes, but in Pakistan saag is made with mustard greens. However there are a lot of leafy green vegetables that can be substituted for mustard greens if they are unavailable. In Britain, they are used for animal fodder, so your supermarket probably won’t have any on the shelves.

amaranth leaves

You can use spring cabbage, or amaranth leaves, or Swiss or Italian chard. You can even pick your own dandelion leaves and use them. Whichever leafy green vegetable you choose, you should wash the leaves very thoroughly, so that there’s no dirt remaining. Wash in salted water, and change the water at least once. The type of leaves used in Pakistan varies from region to region: for example, in Lahore and the surrounding area, people use only mustard greens or spinach, while in Rawalpindi, people use the tops of mooli for a type saag. They also use faluda which is purslane, we finally discovered.  We often use fresh methi (fenugreek leaves which are available in Rawalpindi but again were not in Lahore) and spinach, which is a very tasty combination.

After you’ve washed the leaves, you need to cut them finely, so that they will soak up the butter, ghee or oil you cook them in more readily

SPINACH SAAG

Ingredients

1 kg spinach

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tomato, finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 inch piece of ginger root, finely chopped

6 green chillies, finely chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tbsp dried methi (fenugreek leaves)

1 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp garam masala (see recipe)

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup oil

Method

Cook the spinach in 2 glasses water for 7 mins. Strain and discard the water, and blend.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan, and add the garlic, ginger, cumin and thyme. Fry for 3 mins, then add the tomato, spinach, salt, pepper, methi, garam masala and turmeric with ½ glass water. Cook for 5 mins.

In a frying pan, heat the rest of the oil and put in the onion and green chillies and fry for 5 mins. Mix with the spinach. Stir well to mix thoroughly and serve.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

If you cook the spinach on its own, you can keep it in the fridge (covered) and use it any time you want to make saag.

ROSE or GULAB in HISTORY: RECIPE GULKAND, ROSE PETAL JAM

ROSE or GULAB in URDU

The rose has been on the planet for longer than we have. It is believed to have grown in what is now Central Asia in the Eocene period, around 60 to 70 million years ago. An imprint of a rose found on stone in the Florissant Fossil Beds in Colorado has been dated as being around 40 million years ole. Other rose fossils have been found in Oregon and Montana which are believed to be around 35 million years old. Such fossils have also been found in Germany and former Yugoslavia.

This data ties in with a Pakistani folk tale, which says that before there were people, fairies and djinns populated the Earth. When people arrived in the paradisiacal garden they had made the supernatural beings left, but left the rose behind as a reminder that they had once roamed the Earth. It is said that fairies and djinns are still attracted to the rose, while evil creatures, such as the snake, go to the Night Flowering Jasmine, or raat ki rani in Urdu, Queen of the night.

It is believed to have originated in northern Persia, and from there spread to Mesopotamia, then to Palestine, and from there to Asia Minor and Greece. The first written mention of the rose is in Sumerian cuneiform script, the text being from around 2860 BC. It was a sacred flower in ancient Egypt and offered to the goddess Isis. It has been cultivated for more than 5,000 years. In Greek mythology, the rose is said to have sprung from the blood of Adonis.

The damask rose (Rosa damascena) is believed to have made its appearance in 900 BC and this is the rose from which the best rose water is said to be made. In 50BC the Romans were delighted by the Rosa damascena semperflorens or the Autumn damask. This was a cross breed of Rosa gallica and Rosa moschata (musk rose). In Latin, rosa means red. Interestingly people have been unable to breed a black rose and Pakistani folklore explains this, quite simply. The rose is a symbol of love and beauty, while black is the colour of sorrow, evil and death, so there can never be a black rose as this would be contrary to the nature of the rose.

Of course in England the rose was associated with war, as in the Wars of the Roses, with the House of York‘s symbol being the white rose, and that of the House of Lancaster being the red rose. They are now combined on the English coat of arms.

In ancient Rome they put rose petals in wine and wore garlands of roses around their necks at banquets to prevent drunkenness. Brides and grooms wore crowns of roses as did depictions of Cupid, Bacchus and Venus. In 600 BC the Greek poetess Sappho calls them the Queen of the Flowers.

In England it was a custom to hang a rose over a dining table as a sign that whatever was said sub rosa (under the rose) was confidential and not to be repeated. Even now the ornate plaster ornament in the centre of a ceiling from which some light fittings hang, is called the rose.

The Empress Josephine, wife of Napoleon I, planted roses at Malmaison and it was her ambition to stage a rose renaissance and have all known varieties in her garden, in the 1800s.Culpeper in his 17th century Herball said that distilled rose water, rose vinegar and rose oil extract was “good in hot fevers, jaundices and jointache”.

In Pakistan a few drops of rose water are good for tired or sore eyes, and rose water will also help soften the skin and get rid of skin problems.

On the subcontinent and throughout the Middle East as well as in Turkey, desserts are often flavoured with rose water. You can add 2 tbsps to our rice pudding recipe. It is used in pink Turkish delight so you will probably know what it tastes like. Below we give a recipe for rose petal jam, as rose water made at home doesn’t last very long and it’s readily available online from Asian food suppliers.

The best rose petals to use for this jam are red ones, but any sweet smelling rose petals can be used. Preferably though, use the red damask rose pictured here. This is good for the liver, and gets rid of acid in the stomach, and can be used as a laxative in traditional medicine. It is one of the ingredients that can be put in paan.

GULKAND, ROSE PETAL JAM

Ingredients

Equal amounts of sugar and rose petals

Method

Put the sugar and rose petals in a clean glass jar and leave in the sun for 10 days. After that it is ready to eat, but can be kept for years. The longer you keep it the better it will become, especially if used as a medicine.
This has Taste and is a Treat.