ALU POSTO

 ALU POSTO

(POTATO IN A NUTTY POPPY SEED GRAVY)

    A classical Bengali dish with use of spices and flavorful of potatoes, green chilli and nigella seeds for its taste. Nutty flavour of the roasted poppy paste, provides texture to the gravy. This bland looking dish with just potato and posto is capable of raising passion among Bengalis.

    Although alu posto is cooked without garlic and onion, but you can add onion to the alu posto for some flavour.

    

INGREDIENTS

60 g / 2 tbsp mustard oil

¼ tsp kaalo jeere (nigella seeds)

2 pcs dried red chillies

25 g / 1 medium onions

500 g potatoes

50 g / 1.5 tbsp posto (poppy seeds)

4 pcs green chillies

salt as per taste

‍8 g / 1 tsp sugar

METHOD

• Soak poppy seeds in water for two hours. Strain and add to a grinder jar, along with  2 green chillies and 75 gMS water. Grind to a coarse paste. Set aside.
• Peel and cut the potatoes in 1-cm cubes. If using onions, slice them too.
• Heat mustard oil in a pan. Once smoking lightly and pale yellow, add the onions. Fry until lightly coloured (about 1 minute). Drain from the oil and set aside.
• Temper the oil with dried red chillies and kaalo jeere. Add the potatoes. Fry for about 5 minutes. The potatoes should not brown, so keep stirring them regularly.
• Add the poppy-seed paste, along with salt and sugar. Cook on low heat until the raw smell of poppy paste goes away. This should take about 4 minutes.
• Continue cooking on low heat, with lid on until the potatoes are soft. Once in a while, when the pan dries out, you may have to add a splash of hot water to ensure the potatoes don't stick to the pan.
• Finish with 2 slit green chillies and 1 tsp of mustard oil.
• If you fried the onions earlier, add those now too, and give a final stir, before serving with hot rice and dal, or with rooti.

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