Aloo Posto (Potato with Poppy Seeds)
Aloo Posto is a traditional Bengali dish that originated in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a vegetarian preparation made with potatoes (aloo) cooked in a lightly spiced paste of poppy seeds (posto).
Ingredients
- 500 grams Potato (peeled, cleaned & cut into chunks)
- 3 tablespoons Poppy seeds (soaked in water for 20 mins) and pasted with 5 green chilis (red color)
- 8 pieces Green chili (5 pieces used in poppy seeds paste)
- ½ tablespoon Nigella seed
- ⅓ tablespoon Turmeric powder
- 3½ tablespoon Mustard oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Prepare a fine posto or poppy seed paste with green chilies (red color green chilis).(Pro Tip: You can also prepare this with green chili. To give the posto paste a slightly red color, I use green chilis that are red in color.)
- Add 3 tbsp of oil into the wok or according to your preference.
- Heat the oil. When the oil is hot, add the nigella seeds and three green chilies. Sauté them for 2 to 3 seconds.(Pro Tip: I broke off the end part of the green chilies to prevent them from crackling in the oil.)
- When they start emitting a good aroma, add the potatoes. Sauté the potatoes for 2 minutes. Add ½ tbsp of salt. Mix everything well. Close the lid.(Pro Tip: Add salt according to your preferred taste.)
- Cover with a lid for 2 minutes so that the potatoes can cook in the steam.
- Open the lid after 2 minutes. The potatoes should be half cooked. Add the posto or poppy seed paste. Mix everything nicely.(Pro Tip: You can add water while cooking the potatoes and then add the paste.)
- Add turmeric powder. Stir with an arm-twisting method for 5 minutes. In between these 5 minutes, add the posto mixed water from the bowl of paste. Close the lid.(Pro Tip: If desired, you can keep it without adding any color.)
- Open the lid. The oil will start oozing out from the potatoes. Now add 1 cup of water. Close the lid again for 5 minutes.
- Open the lid. Aloo posto is ready. Add less than ½ tbsp of raw mustard oil to enhance the taste. Close the lid. Turn off the flame and let it rest.(Pro Tip: You can add or omit this step of adding raw mustard oil.)
- Aloo Posto is ready and transfer it to a bowl. Serve it with steamed rice, luchi, paratha, roti or chapati.
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Notes
- Aloo posto must be made with fresh ingredients always to achieve the desired, flavor, taste, and texture of the dish. The potatoes and the green chilies should be fresh and even the spices should be freshly ground, preferably after dry roasting them a bit in a dry pan.
- To make the paste of poppy seeds, toast them in a dry pan and soak them in water,
- Aloo posto should not have a runny consistency. So, make sure you check the consistency throughout and adjust it to achieve the desired creamy texture of the dish eventually, coating every piece of the potatoes evenly. Add water as required and simmer it every time after adding.
- Make sure you temper the whole spices, such as the nigella seeds, in the hot oil at the beginning of the cooking process. Let them sizzle or crackle for a few seconds. This step will help release their natural fragrance enhance the overall taste of the dish.
- After completing your cooking, I let the dish sit for a while. Make sure to cover the dish at this stage. This will allow the necessary time to the flavors of the spices and ingredients to blend together perfectly and add more depth to the dish, enriching your dining experience even further.
Nutrition Info (Estimation Only)
Nutrition Facts
Aloo Posto (Potato with Poppy Seeds)
Amount per Serving
Calories
194
Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat
12
g
18
%
Saturated Fat
1
g
6
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
4
g
Monounsaturated Fat
6
g
Sodium
711
mg
31
%
Potassium
472
mg
13
%
Carbohydrates
19
g
6
%
Fiber
3
g
13
%
Sugar
1
g
1
%
Protein
3
g
6
%
Vitamin A
2
IU
0
%
Vitamin C
20
mg
24
%
Calcium
91
mg
9
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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