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Kluski z makiem

Kluski z makiem: noodles tossed with sweet ground poppy seed, honey, nuts and raisins

Poppy seed is the taste of a Polish Christmas Eve, and in central and eastern Poland it often reaches the table as a bowl of wide noodles in a sweet, dark poppy mixture with honey, walnuts and raisins. It sounds strange to anyone who expects pasta to be savoury, but it is closer to a pudding: nutty, slightly bitter, sticky with honey, eaten at room temperature as the last dish of the night. Where most people go wrong is using whole poppy seeds straight from the packet; they must be scalded and ground, or the dish is gritty and bland. Chef's tip: buy ready-ground poppy seed or grind scalded seeds twice in a spice grinder until they turn grey and buttery.
Total time
45 min
Difficulty
medium
Serves
6
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Ingredients

Serves6

For the poppy mix

For the noodles

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Method

0/5 done
  1. Step 1: Bring 1 ¼ cups milk to the boil, take it off the heat and stir in 7 oz poppy seeds. Cover and leave for 20 minutes, until the seeds have swollen and soaked up most of the milk.

    22 min
  2. Step 2: Drain the seeds in a very fine sieve, pressing, then grind them twice in a spice grinder or mincer until they look grey and paste-like.

    6 min
  3. Step 3: Melt 1 oz butter with 3 ½ oz runny honey and 2 tbsp sugar in a frying pan over a low heat. Add the ground poppy, 2 ⅛ oz walnuts, 2 ⅛ oz raisins, 1 ⅜ oz candied orange peel and 1 tsp vanilla extract and stir for 4 minutes, until glossy and fragrant.

    4 min
  4. Step 4: Cook 10 ½ oz wide egg noodles or łazanki in boiling water with 1 tsp salt until just tender, then drain well and rinse briefly so they don't stick.

    10 min
  5. Step 5: Toss the noodles with the warm poppy mix until every strand is coated. Leave for 10 minutes so the flavours settle and serve warm or at room temperature.

    2 min

Nutrition per serving

Calories
520 kcal
Protein
13 g
Carbs
70 g
Fat
22 g
Fibre
6 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does kluski z makiem take?
About 45 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it vegetarian?
Yes. It has no meat or fish.
What can I use instead of milk?
Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
What can I use instead of runny honey?
Maple syrup or golden syrup, same amount.

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