Aloo Posto | Potatoes in Creamy Poppy Seed Paste

“I’m about to board the flight/train. See you soon.”
“Okay. By the way, what do you want for lunch/dinner?”
“You know Maa! Moshuri daal, bhaat, ghee maakha aloo sheddo (red lentil soup, steamed rice, mashed potato seasoned with ghee and salt)”

This conversation, or a version of it, is repeated each time I am on the way home after travelling for days/weeks/months. This ritual stems from the feeling of warmth and comfort that only potatoes can give. Nutritionists and dieticians have gone blue in the face urging me to stop eating this ‘fattening’ food. I’ve quit them rather than give up potatos.

Sheer nonsense I tell you!

Has there ever been anything more satisfying and comforting than a bowl of mashed potatoes, or some piping hot potato wedges and tater tots?

For a beginner-level cook like me, the potato is the easiest vegetable to handle – stir fry, boil, steam, season and voila! And then there are dishes like the “simple, tasty and a bit fancy” aloo posto which when translated means “potato (aloo) with poppy seeds (posto)”.

What it actually turns out to be is a luscious dish of potatoes cooked in mustard oil and coated in creamy poppy seed paste. The aloo posto is a classic example of “how to make tasty food with minimal ingredients”. And the brilliant part of this dish is that you can substitute the potato with almost any other vegetable! Carrots, capsicum, ladyfingers, ridge gourd, pointed gourd, etc.

The main seasoning of this dish is the Bengali spice paanch phoron (five spices). As the name suggests, it is a mix of five spices – methi (fenugreek seeds), kaalo jeere (black cumin), jeere (cumin), radhuni (a Bengali spice) and mouri (fennel seeds). This mixture can be easily found in a store catering to regional or Indian tastes. No paanch phoron? No worries. Just go ahead with the rest of the spices.

I’ll also let you in on a tasty Bengali secret. This posto paste that you are about to make tastes yummy with rice. Take ¼ cup of the paste, add some salt and a drizzle of mustard oil, mix well and then eat with rice. Heaven on a plate!

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