Flax seeds also known as "Alsi bee" has gained popularity for its use in eggless preparation as an egg replacement ingredient as well as for the health benefits after its consumption. Read about the health benefits of consuming flax seeds here. Further studies are required to establish conclusive evidence of its health benefits upon regular consumption. You can check the respective names for this seeds in different languages here

I bought them with a plan to prepare an eggless cake, but before my preparation, came across its use in chutney. Looked for the chutney recipe and found one on Sanjeev Kapoor's site. This being my first time to use flax seeds, I have halved the quantity from his recipe and used regular oil since I didn't have sesame oil.

Ingredients

Flax seeds 1/4 cup
Garlic pods 10-12
Red chillies broken 4
Sesame seeds 1 tbsp
Rock salt as per the taste.
Oil 1 tsp [SK recipe mentions to use sesame oil]

Method:

Dry roast flax seeds on low flame till you get the aroma and seeds start spluttering. Keep them aside. Similarly roast the sesame seeds and keep them aside. Roast the red chillies till crisp. Heat oil in the pan, add garlic and saute them till golden. Once cool, put it in a mixie jar, add rock salt as per the taste and grind it to a coarse powder. When completely cool store it in airtight jar and refrigerated. Use it as and when required.


Note:
Some points about how to cook and eat these seeds [ I came across these points while browsing for the recipes using flax seeds]

• Lighty roast and grind the seeds before consumption... should not exceed 2 tbsp per person per day, lesser amount if you have stomach upset.
• Store the powdered flax seeds in refrigerator in an opaque or dark bottle.
• Once powdered they turn rancid and hence it is recommended to buy the seeds from market and ground it fresh as per the requirement
• They are known to generate body heat and hence should be balanced with consumption of ingredients in your diet that will keep a check on this body heat.
• Drinking plenty of water throughout the day when you take flax seeds is essential.

Protect your heart and lead a healthy life with right choice of healthy ingredients and in balanced proportions !!!

Happy Cooking :)