Reema sent me this recipe for Bengali Aloo Posto ages ago (over a year back, to be precise). I had to first get some poppy seeds from India because apparently they are not available (aka banned) in Singapore. Poppy seeds are said to induce a high and generally make you sleepy if you take it in large quantities. Although this aloo posto disappoints in that regard, there’s a payasam / payesh they make in Karnataka that is said to have this effect, and that’s next in my agenda 😉
Looking for more Indian potato recipes? Then check out this Punjabi aloo gobi recipe, potato soya chunks masala, or these baked garlic potato wedges, one of my favourite evening snacks.
Poppy Seeds
Poppy seeds are also used in Kerala cooking, although sparingly. It is a good substitute for coconut (definitely not in flavour but in consistency) and I used to make this chicken curry with poppy seeds / khus khus that was such a hit that each time we bought chicken at home, which was rarely, I would insist on making this dish with some of it.
Soaking is necessary to get the seeds rolling. Always soak in warm water for 15-20 mins before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
Kalonji
Meet kalonji. It looks a lot like black sesame seeds but kalonji is actually Nigella, or black caraway or popularly known in Bengal as Kala Jeera (black jeera). I have no relationship with these seeds, mind you. I am using them for the first time in this dish and they give a nice crunch to the aloo posto. Ah, the joys of experimenting.
Bengali Aloo Posto (Potato in Poppy Seed Paste) Recipe
Ingredients:
3 medium potatoes, cut into 1″ cubes
2-3 tbsp khus-khus / posto / poppy seeds
1 tbsp mustard oil (I used normal cooking oil)
1 tbsp kalonji / kala jeera / nigella seeds
2 Green chillies, slit (I used 3 dry red chillies since I was out of green chillies)
1 tsp ghee
A pinch of sugar
Salt to taste
Instructions:
1. Soak the poppy seeds in 1 cup warm water for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain (use a tea strainer, the seeds will stick to your fingers and generally annoy you) and grind to a smooth paste. Add water by the tsp while grinding if it gets too thick.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and add the kalonji. Fry for about 2 mins. Then add the potatoes and cook for 5 mins, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Make sure that your flame is kept to medium.
3. Now add the poppy seed paste and the red chillies, broken into halves (or the green chillies which is what you should actually be using). Fry for 3 mins and then top off with about a cup of water and cook covered for 10-12 mins until the potatoes are cooked through.
4 .Stir in salt and sugar. The mixture should be thick and the poppy seeds paste should be sticking to the potato pieces by now.
5. Remove from fire, stir in the ghee and serve warm with rice.
The flavour was like nothing I had ever tasted. We immensely enjoyed this simple dish although next time I think I would make sure I add green chillies or maybe throw in a couple more red chillies.
I love potaoes. This one looks so yumm and perfect for me 🙂
Looks gud….am all set to try…
Yeah … green chillies go very well with the kalonji. You have made this aloo posto like a pro Nags … looks perfect. 🙂
Sounds delicious! Great pictures Nags:)
This somehow looks like kappapuzhukku to me..u knw..the one we have with meen curry..thenga okke itta types..:)..havent trioed poppy paste other than in biriyani..looks good..:)
Aloo looks moist and yummy – but the part I like is about getting high! LOL! That's actually a lot of poppy seeds you've used here – sure might help with the getting high part. I didn't know that these were banned there – we do get them here, but they're freaking expensive! Do the Spore feds know that you are cooking this yummy concoction up yet?
looks delicious..
And just to add shreya's comment..nigella and subja seeds are different…nigella are also called as onion seeds..didn't know they were also called as black caraway..
You had me at "high" 🙂 Poppy seeds always remind me of that Seinfeld episode with Elaine's drug test… Great start with Bengali cuisine, I've got to try one of their fish recipes soon too.
Hi Nags
Thank you for this recipe. Sometimes it is good to try a new potato recipe. I constantly try to make variations. Next time its going to be this one.
Mmmmmm, really looks good Nags. My favorite. Do add Indian green chillis next time as Sayantani said