GASAGASAALU PARAVANAM/ KASA KASA PAYASAM/ POPPY SEEDS PUDDING

   Wanna have a sinfree dessert? Try this..

     Poppy Seeds/ Kasa Kasa Payasam is prepared by boiling poppy seeds and coconut paste in milk which is topped with nuts and raisins. It is an authentic delicacy of a community in Andhra. This is a wholesome nutritious dessert prepared during various poojas of the same community.

  Poppy seeds are known to cure digestive problems and are also a good source of vitamins and minerals like B complex, iron, calcium, copper and potassium. It is known for their cooling properties and are good for tummy. They are good anti-oxidants too. Inspite of its good taste, you don't have to feel guilty of having sweets! This is my first ever post and hence a sweet :):)
   

   The milk and seeds would never be in a perfect blend or would not be gooey as in any other payasam varieties. They would look separated. So, don't worry when you are making the payasam, the resultant would be a melt in mouth payasam with a unique crunch of poppy seeds in every bite! So, go ahead and enjoy a great cup of this crunchy-munchy delicacy.

Ingredients in other languages:

1. Poppy seeds - Khus khus in hindi, kasa kasa in tamil, kus kus in malayalam and gasagasaalu in telugu.

2. Jaggery - Gur in hindi, vellam in tamil, sharkkara in malayalam and bellam in telugu.

3. Coconut - Naariyal in hindi, thengai in tamil, thenga in malayalam and kobbari in telugu.

4. Cardamom - Elaichi in hindi, elakkaai in tamil, elakaayaa in malayalam and yelakayulu in telugu.

5. Clarified butter - Ghee in hindi, neyi in tamil, neyu in malayalam and neyyi in telugu.

6. Almond - Badam in hindi, tamil, malayalam and telugu.

7. Pistachio - Pista in hindi, tamil and malayalam, pista pappu in telugu.

8. Cashew nut - Kaju in hindi, mundri paruppu in tamil, kasu andi in malayalam and jeedi poppu in telugu.

9. Raisins - Kismis in hindi, kaaindha dhratchai in tamil, unakku mundiringa in malayalam and yendu dhraksha in telugu.

10. Saffron - kesar in hindi, kumgumapoo in tamil, kumkumapoovu/ kesari in malayalam and kumkumpoovu in telugu.

GASAGASAALU PARAVANAM/ POPPY SEEDS PUDDING RECIPE

Cuisine - Andhra 

Category - Dessert
Preparation time - 20 minutes
Cooking time - 30 minutes
Yields - 2 to 3 servings

INGREDIENTS

Milk - 1 cup 

Jaggery- 1/4 cup (or as desired)

FOR GRINDING
Poppy seeds -1/4 cup (soaked for 15 to 20 mins)
Grated Coconut - 2 tablespoons
Cardamom (shelled) - 2 to 3 pods

FOR GARNISHING
Clarified butter - 1/2 teaspoon
Almond (diced) - 3 to 4
Pistachio (diced) - 3 to 4
Cashew nut (diced) - 3 to 4
Raisins - 1 teaspoon
Saffron (optional) - a few strands

METHOD
1. Soak the poppy seeds for about 15 to 20 minutes and drain the excess water. Don't discard the water as it can be used for grinding the paste.
2. Make a paste of the ingredients given under 'for grinding'.(poppy seeds, coconut and cardamom). The paste would be moderately coarse. Keep aside.
3.Add the saffron strands in a tablespoon of warm milk and keep aside.
4. Bring a cup of milk to a boil and add the grounded paste to it and cook for a couple of minutes. Milk and poppy seeds would never look blended well (they would look separated) but that is what the pudding is all about:)
4. Melt jaggery in about 2 tablespoons of water. More water would make the syrup watery. When the jaggery has melt completely, strain the syrup with a strainer to remove the impurities.
5. Pour the syrup over the boiling mixture and allow it to boil for about 10 to 15 minutes or till cooked and thickened. Stir in occassionally so that it doesn't sits down the vessel.
6. Add saffron milk (if using saffron, this is optional) and turn off. 
7. Heat ghee in a pan and roast nuts and raisins till crisp. Turn off heat.  Pour this over the payasam for garnishing.
8. The payasam will be thick like halwa. It can be had like this too but if you want it in a liquid state, boil another cup of milk and blend it with the payasam while serving. This can be served hot or cold. But i personally like it piping hot.

Note
1.Cashewnuts can be added while grinding the poppy seeds for richness.
2.The dish is equally delicious with sugar too.
3. Halwa too can be made. Just add 2 teaspoons of ghee at step 6 and cook on low flame till it thickens further. Actually, this won't take much time since it will be more or less have a halwa look.
4. Poppy seeds can be soaked overnight too.
5. Fine paste can never be made with poppy seeds, so it would be moderately coarse but that is the beauty of this pudding.

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