Poppy filling can add a unique taste to any baked goods. In order for it to turn out juicy and tender, it is necessary to steam the poppy seeds correctly, and also grind them.
The use of poppy in cooking
Poppy is widely used in cooking to create delicious and original pastries. The simplest thing to do with his seeds is to sprinkle them on buns and pies before putting them in the oven. You can also pour the poppy seeds into the dough and knead it. In this case, the seeds are evenly distributed throughout the baked goods.
Poppy is also used to create unusually tasty fillings, which are usually added to pies, buns and other products. Such fillings are widely used in Ukrainian and Russian cuisines. It is not so easy to prepare them, since the poppy must be properly steamed, and only then mixed with honey, sugar and other products.
How to steam poppy correctly
Before steaming the poppy seeds, rinse them thoroughly. To do this, you can place them in a gauze bag and dip them into a pot of water. After rinsing, you need to let the poppy drain.
Next, the poppy seeds need to be placed in a saucepan and steamed. There are several ways to prepare poppy seeds. You can pour boiling water over it and cover the pan with a lid, letting the poppy brew for 10 minutes. Next, you need to drain the water, re-pour the seeds with boiling water, let it brew for 10 minutes, and then repeat this procedure again.
After the third 10-minute steaming, drain the water, pour boiling milk over the poppy seeds and boil the mixture over low heat for 5 minutes. Next, you need to fold the poppy into a sieve or colander, let the liquid drain and start grinding the steamed seeds.
You can grind poppy seeds in a coffee grinder or even in a meat grinder. There are also special devices for grinding various seeds. In Ukraine, poppy seeds are ground in special clay mortars using a wooden pestle called makogon.
There are other ways of steaming poppy seeds. For example, some housewives prefer to fill it with water once, but keep it under a closed lid for about 40 minutes. For this method, pottery is perfect, which retains heat.
Some housewives do not boil poppy seeds. They believe that prolonged steaming is sufficient to soften the seeds. Some, on the contrary, prefer to boil it in milk for a little longer than indicated in the recipe. In this case, the filling turns out to be unusually tender and tasty.
To give the poppy seed a sweet taste, it is mixed with powdered sugar or honey, and then added to buns and pies. Sugar can also be added to the steamed poppy seeds before chopping, and then grind the mixture in a mortar.
