Aloo Posto: The vegan gluten free meal from a Bengali kitchen

Aloo posto

We are bringing to you the recipe of Aloo posto from a traditional Bengali kitchen. So very simple with 2 main ingredients- Potato and poppy seeds (Posto in bengali) and it is so tasty.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED
Potato – 6 medium size (Remove the skin and cut them into cubes)
Green chilies – 4 (2 green chillies will be used while grinding the poppy seeds and the other 2 will be used in cooking)
Posto/Poppy seeds – 4 tbsp
Kalo jeera(cumin seeds)/ Kalonji/Nigella seeds – 1 tsp
Dried red chillies - 2
Garlic pods – 4
Mustard oil – 3 tbsp
Water – 1 cup

Also read : Is coffee good for you?

METHOD:
First, let us make the posto/poppy seed paste-
Soak poppy seeds in water for half an hour. Strain and add to a grinder, along with 2 green chillies, garlic pods and 1/4th cup water. Grind to a coarse paste. Set aside.

Now let’s start cooking:
Heat mustard oil in a pan. Once the oil starts smoking, lower the flame and add red chillies, nigella seeds and green chillies.
Add potatoes, fry for about 2 minutes on low, and then add salt. The potatoes should not brown, so keep stirring them frequently.
Cover and cook for 5 minutes. In case the potatoes start sticking to the pan, sprinkle some water. Stir well.
Add the poppy seeds paste, mix well. Cook on low heat for a good 4-5 minutes until the raw smell of poppy paste goes away.
Cover and continue cooking on low heat until the potatoes are soft. Add 1/2 tsp sugar or honey.

If you feel that the pan is becoming too dry add 1/4th cup water to ensure the potatoes don’t stick to the wok.
Give it a final stir, serve aloo posto with hot rice and dal.

Benefits of Poppy seeds (Posto) -