Twinkling Tina Cooks: Aloo Chingri Posto

The ‘aloo posto’ or potato in poppy seed paste, is a quintessential item of the coveted Bengali cuisine, without this the Sunday bong lunch is always incomplete. Posto or poppy seeds (also known as Khas Khas in Hindi) can be used in both vegetarian dishes and non-veg items. Here I have added some prawns along with the potato to give the exotic twist.

If you don’t like prawns or are vegetarian, you can omit it and still savour the subtle taste of poppy or as we call it in Bengali ‘posto’.

We Bengalis love mustard oil like no one else, some of my friends tell me how I can tolerate mustard oil, it smells so strong… I say if you have never tasted food cooked in mustard oil then you have definitely missed something really good. So try it this with mustard oil.

All that you need

1. 2 large Potatoes – peeled and cubed

2. 1 cup of Poppy seeds

3. 1 tspn cumin seeds

4. Green chillies – 2 to 3 slit from middle (depending on your taste)

5. Mustard oil – 2 tblspn

6. Turmeric powder – ½ tspn

7. Cumin powder – ½ tspn

8. Salt to taste

9. Medium sized prawns or shrimps – 1 cup

10. Lime juice – ½ tspn

Let’s get started

Soak the poppy seeds in warm water for 10 mins. and make a fine paste. Add a dash of salt and a green chilli while making this paste.

Devein the prawns / shrimps and marinate them with little salt and lime juice and keep aside.

Heat mustard oil in a wok and add cumin seeds when the oil is hot. Add the cubed potatoes and fry in low flame. Add some salt, turmeric, cumin powder and 2 green chillies and keep frying. You can put a lid after a while to make the potatoes tender.

Add the prawns/ shrimps and keep frying.

Now add the poppy paste and fry until the water in the paste has dried up considerably.

Take it off the flame when the potato has become soft and the prawns are cooked.

Little Suggestion:

Add some chopped coriander leaves for garnish and serve it hot with rice and dal.

Will wait for your 'posto' story.

Happy cooking!