A Peppy Poppy Rendition

Passport & Plate - Khakas Kanda/Poppy Seeds Curry

India | Monday, March 2, 2015 | 5 photos

Ingredients
4 Onions
2 Green Chilies
Ginger Garlic paste
Coriander leaves
Curry leaves
Red Chili Powder
Turmeric
Salt
Garam Masala ( Blend of Ground spices)
Clean Poppy Seeds (100 grams)

 

How to prepare this recipe
1. Take 100 grams Poppy seeds(available only in certain countries) and soak them in water for 6/7 hours.
Grind these soaked poppy seeds to make a fine Paste (Do not throw water)
2. Finely chop 4 Onions and 2 Chilies.
3. Heat some oil in a cooking vessel and add chopped onions and chilies to it. Add Curry Leaves after.
4. Once onions are pale pink and soft, add a dollop of ginger garlic paste. Let it fry.
5. Add Red chili powder, turmeric, Garam Masala and Salt to taste.
6. By now the Onions should be well cooked. Add the Poppy Seeds Paste and some water.
7. Stir well and let it simmer.
8. Garnish with Coriander Leaves and Serve Hot with Indian Bread!

 

The story behind this recipe
In many countries the main ingredient of this dish isn't available and/or is illegal. Out of all the common things illegal in India, Poppy seeds is not one of them. You will get them in any general store. I had discovered that poppy seeds are mostly used in deserts and sweet dishes but this simple dish was inspiring and different. Commonly made in the mid-region of India in the state of Maharashtra, I came across this dish on a road trip in the Vidharbha Region. We drove all day and halted for refreshments (maybe dinner) at someone's house. The lady who was cooking spoke some regional language and made this delicious smelling curry within minutes! In India they say "Mehman Bhagwan hote hai" - Guests are Gods! Ergo they invest time and energy to please us even though they have never met us before and have no reason to do so. We ate this curry with some Tandoori Rotis and till this day the taste still lingers, haunting me. So I tried to recreate it, I spoke to people who make this regularly and got closest to the original recipe. Who that lady was? How she made this? I don't know and I probably won't know ever. I was later hoping to discover that this illogical love for this curry was in fact morphine from the poppy seeds but sadly these are refined seeds with no hallucinogenic properties! The search for the recipe shall be relentless .