Nudle s Mákem

Nudle s Mákem (Czech Poppy Seed Egg Noodles)

A humble Czech sweet of tender egg noodles tossed in butter, then layered with ground poppy seeds and powdered sugar. It is a classic nursery and Sunday-dinner dessert across Bohemia and Moravia.

Prep

10 min

Cook

15 min

Total

25 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •300 g (10½ oz) fresh wide egg noodles, Czech 'široké nudle'; dried wide egg noodles work as a substitute (use about 250 g / 9 oz)
• •80 g (⅓ cup) unsalted butter, plus extra for tossing, if desired
• •120 g (⅔ cup) ground poppy seeds, freshly ground from blue poppy seeds for best flavor; pre-ground poppy seed meal is the home substitute
• •80 g (¾ cup) powdered sugar, more for dusting
• •1 pinch salt, for the pasta water
• •250 ml (1 cup) whole milk, warmed; for a richer dish, use cream
• •1 tsp vanilla sugar, or vanilla extract; classic Czech addition

Steps

1. 1 Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add a generous pinch of salt, and cook the egg noodles until just tender but still firm to the bite (al dente), about 4 minutes for fresh or per package directions for dried.
2. 2 Drain the noodles well in a colander and shake off excess water. Return them to the warm pot and toss immediately with the 80 g butter so every strand is coated.
3. 3 In a dry skillet over medium-low heat, briefly warm the ground poppy seeds for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, just until fragrant; do not brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla sugar.
4. 4 Add the poppy seed-sugar mixture to the buttered noodles and toss gently with two forks until the noodles are evenly speckled and glossy.
5. 5 Pour the warm milk around the edges of the pot, fold through once more, and let everything rest off the heat for 1 minute so the milk is absorbed and the dish is creamy, not soupy.
6. 6 Plate the noodles into shallow bowls, dust generously with extra powdered sugar, and serve warm. Offer extra warm milk at the table for those who like it looser, the traditional Czech way.