DadiJaan's Poppy Seed Flatbreads - "Puris"

Something that is reminiscent of those, desert cool wintery winds in Karachi are these poppy seed pooris which are my Dadi's (Dad's mom) recipe - something handed down generations in my Dad's family. I won't forget the last time she ever made these for me, it was one of those cool crisp Sunday winter brunchs at her place where the entire family gathered to eat over the family dining table, munching raw green chilli's with potato bhaji and these pooris, washed down with cardamom cooked chai; and I remember her telling me, "Somi bayta make sure you teach your daughter this recipe and asks her never to forget her roots".... That was the last winter I spent with Dadijan....Coming back to poppy seeds, and her love for these pooris. We all know that poppy seeds are all the rage now in the West, with poppy seed muffins, cakes and breads. This recipe lends it's decent from the times of the Mughal's when poppy seeds together with saffron, cream and pistachio's made it only on the Emperor's menu. With aphrodisiac and sleep inducing properties, not to mention it's well-known 'sedative' properties, it's not a wonder why this was such a favourite of the Mughal emperors! But the humble poppy seed predates to the Sumerians and had never lost it's use in history. It add a texture and indefinable flavour that enhances food like no other seed can. I know that for me this puri reminds me of cold winter mornings when it's best eaten with a spicy potato bhujia and some semolina (suji) halva and even equally as delicious eaten with a Mango, Coconut and Saffron chicken or my Aniseed Potato bhujia and some green chutney. I do remember that in Pakistan when we bought these seeds we had to wash them about a dozen times to wash out all the sand in it - I always believed it was from the beach! Also the poppy seeds in Pakistan are of a whitish colour (making it hard to distinguish the sand) unlike the usual blackish seed available in the West.Ingredients:1/2 kilo of unbleached wholemeal flour (atta) - you can buy this in Indian shops2 tbsp white poppy seeds  and 2 tbsp of black poppy seedsWater to make a paste and soak poppy seedsGhee to frySalt to taste2-3 green chillies1 inch piece of ginger1 tbpn cumin seeds - dry roasted before grindingMakes about 5 - 8 purisMethod:1. Soak the poppy seeds for 24 hours and then drain the water. Grind the poppy seeds with green chilli, ginger and dry roasted cumin seeds.2. Add a pinch of salt to the wholemeal flour and put  in a glass bowl and make a well. Pour enough water to make a dough. Once you have kneaded it sufficiently, add a knob of ghee it the dough. Cover dough in bowl with cling film and leave for an hour.3. Make walnut size balls with the dough and roll out with the rolling pin to make a small thick circle. Now add the poppy seed mixture to this and collect the sides and close it up ensuring that the mixture can not escape. Now roll out again into small thin 4x4 inch circles.4. In a deep pan, heat up oil (do this before you roll out the poori's, so that the oil is sufficiently hot, then turn down the heat to maintain temperature).5. Pop the puri's one by one in the hot oil and when you first put it in, press the poori down with a ladle, into the oil and then quickly turn over and then allow to cook well. A trick to know when it's done is when it floats to the top. The poori should be very pale brown and crispy. Take out and drain on kitchen paper.6. Keep warm in a soft cloth and serve with my Aniseed Potato Bhaji or Semolina Halva and some cool Greek yogurt and some green chutney.