Colostrum known as “kit” in Konkani, is the first milk that comes from cattle once the calf is born. It is supposed to be very healthy and nutritious. Growing up my grandparents used to rear cattle. It was not uncommon to have “pos,” a kind of pudding made with colostrum milk, during our summer holidays. The aroma of steaming turmeric leaves would fill the house! We would wait impatiently for the pos to steam so that we could dive into it!
Today, finding colostrum milk is difficult with the dwindling number of locals who rear cows and the milk industry becoming more commercial. They do have milk powders made with colostrum which can be used to make pos as well. I personally don’t believe that the taste matches the real deal. But as they say, something is better than nothing.
Gone are the days when the milkman would come with think milk bottles every day! I was lucky enough to have grown up in a household where the cows were raised with so much love and affection. I still remember how cow dung would gross me out (I was a city kid after all). I would ask my grandma, “Why do you apply the cow dung at the entrance of the house? It is so gross!” Should would just laugh and say, “Because it keeps the bugs and ants away! All of this has a purpose”. I still remember my grandma would feed draw water from the well for the cows early in the morning and then let them out. In the evening she would stand at the gate and call out to the cows and they would line up without fail back in the cowshed by dusk. I also remember her boiling water for us to have a bath in a large pot called the “bhan” with cow dung cakes! “We take care of them and they, in turn, provide for us”, she would say. Talk about sustainable practices! Oh, the excitement we as kids had when we lined up to meet a new calf every time a cow gave birth! All that remains are sweet wonderful memories which I reminisce every time I have a bite of “pos”.
What you will need:
| Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Colostrum Milk | 1/2 liter |
| Cumin Seeds | 1 teaspoon |
| Jaggery | 1 cup |
| Thick Coconut Milk | 1/2 liter |
| Turmeric | 1 teaspoon |
| Turmeric Leaves | 2 |
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Serving: 10
How to make it:
- To make coconut milk: Add fresh coconut and water to a mixer. Grind to in a paste. Squeeze the milk while straining it through a strainer.
- In a bowl, add the colostrum milk, coconut milk, jaggery, and cumin seeds. Mix everything well till the jaggery is dissolved completely.
- Heat water for steaming. Pour the above mixture into a vessel and place in the steaming pot. Traditionally, the
sannan copro is used to steam pos. - Add the turmeric leaf to the mixture as well.
- Cover and let it steam for 45 minutes to an hour.
- Let the pos cool. Enjoy!