Wednesday 20 December 2017

Linseed Panjeeri.



Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

It's the ultimate Pakistani superfood!
This is my Aunt's recipe for a linseed panjeeri.
It's a dish that has become quite famous in our family and beyond. Traditionally, panjeeri is a mixture of seeds, nuts and semolina usually sweetened with sugar and fried in lots of ghee or butter. It has health food status in the motherland and is always made in huge batches ready to whip out whenever someone is ill or just had a baby.
This version is slightly different and a little lighter. It has no semolina or flour making it gluten-free. The sweetener used is honey instead of sugar. You could also use maple syrup or any other sweetener you prefer. The nuts and seeds are still fried in butter which in my opinion, gives the panjeeri a lovely flavour. However, you can substitute it with coconut oil or any other oil you're a fan of.
Panjeeri is traditionally eaten as it is with a spoon. If you wanted to roll it into balls, I would increase the butter and honey to make it more pliable. My Aunt says that this recipe is very good for those with asthma. Her advice is to eat two tablespoons of it every morning before breakfast.
The base of the panjeeri is butter, honey, linseeds, psyllium seeds and almonds. Apart from them any extras are up to you. My Aunt chose to add coconut flakes and sweet green sultanas. I'm not the biggest coconut fan but to my surprise, even I enjoyed this linseed panjeeri with a hot cup of tea.

A Simple List of Ingredients:

1. Linseeds
2. Almonds
3. Butter
4. Coconut Flakes (optional)
5. Psyllium Seeds
6. Green Sultanas (optional)
7. Honey

Bismillah, let's begin!

We start by preparing our linseeds (alsi).

Into a large dry pan, place 400g Linseeds.

Over a medium-high heat, constantly stir the linseeds until ....

... they're toasted, fragrant and crunchy. A sign is when the seeds start to pop!

Tip the toasted seeds into a food processor.

We're going to grind them up!

Blend them up and take off the small lid to let the steam escape from the hot seeds.

When the seeds are blended, tip them into a bowl.

Set aside for later.

Next, place 400g Almonds into the food processor.

Blend until the almonds are ground up. It will be very noisy!

Then, in the same large pan, melt 130g Butter. You can also use coconut oil or any other oil that you prefer here.

Once the butter has melted, add in the blended almonds.

And, get stirring!

Stir the butter and almonds over a medium heat until the almonds are toasted and fragrant.

Then, turn the heat down and add in the linseeds from earlier.

Along with 100g Coconut Flakes. This is optional so feel free to leave it out.

Next, grab the psyllium seeds.

Add in 150g Psyllium Seeds.

These are great for weight loss and are a source of natural fibre. They also promote natural bowel movements, prevent discomfort and sluggishness and help control blood sugar. More about them here!

Add in 300g Green Sultanas. These are optional and you can leave them out or any of your favourite dried fruit.

Time to sweeten things up!

Squeeze in 180g Honey. You may also use maple syrup or any other sweetener that you like.

All we do now is stir!

Give the panjeeri a really good stir until ...

.... everything is well combined and hot.

Taste the panjeeri and adjust the sweetness with more honey, if needed.

When you're happy with it, serve up.

Enjoy the panjeeri hot or cold with a cup of Pakistani tea.

Once the panjeeri is cool, pop it into an airtight container and store in a cool and dry place. It will keep for up to 3 months but I doubt it will last that long. 

Linseed Panjeeri.

A blend of toasted nuts, seeds and dried fruit. The ultimate Pakistani superfood!

Prep Time: About 10 minutes.
Cook Time: About 20 minutes.
Serves: About 15 portions.

Ingredients

400g Linseeds (Alsi)
400g Almonds
130g Butter
100g Coconut Flakes (optional)
150g Psyllium Seeds (Isabgoal whole)
300g Green Sultanas (optional)
180g Honey

Prepare the linseeds:
Put the linseeds into a large dry pan. Heat over a medium-high heat and stir constantly until the linseeds are toasted, fragrant and crunchy. Tip the linseeds into a food processor and blend until ground. Pop into a bowl and set aside.

Prepare the almonds:
Blend the almonds in a food processor until ground.

Cook the panjeeri:
Heat the butter in a large pan until melted. Add in the ground almonds and stir for a few minutes over medium heat until they're toasted and fragrant. Add in the ground linseeds, coconut flakes, psyllium seeds, green sultanas and honey. Stir really well until everything is well combined and hot. Taste and adjust the sweetness with more honey, if needed.

Serve:
Serve the panjeeri hot or cold. My Aunt recommends eating 2 tablespoons of it in the morning before eating anything else and says it is very good for those with asthma.

How to store the panjeeri:
Let it cool before storing in an airtight container. Keep the container in a cool and dry place. The panjeeri will keep for approximately 3 months in these conditions.

Recipe Notes

  • To make this recipe vegan, replace the butter with coconut oil or any other vegan spread. And, replace the honey with maple syrup or any other vegan syrup.

Keep me in your duas please, and enjoy your panjeeri!

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!


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