Aloo Posto

Ingredients

• 4 medium sized Potatoes peeled and cubed into small size
• 2 medium sized Onion peeled and chopped (not too fine)
• 3-4 Green chillies
• 25 gms White Poppy Seeds/ Posto /Khus Khus /Posta Dana
• 1/4 tsp Kalo Jeera /kalonji /nigella seeds
• 2-3 tbsps Mustard oil plus some more to drizzle
• 1 pinch Turmeric powder
• Salt to taste

Steps

1. Soak the poppy seeds in hot water for sometimes so that’s easy to make a paste. Meanwhile prepare the potato and onion as mentioned above. Slit two Green chillies too.
2. Now with other remaining chillies make a paste of the poppy seeds in a Sil Batta / Sil Lora / traditional grinding stone or mixer grinder.
3. In a Kadai /pan, heat mustard oil. Add the Kalonji, once it crackles add in the slit green chillies and then the potato cubes and fry it for sometimes.
4. After 8-10 minutes, add turmeric and mix well. Then add in the chopped/diced onion,salt and mix well, cover and cook for another 15 minutes or so. Stirring in between.
5. Add in the poppy seed paste too and mix well for a minute or two. Add in enough water for the potatoes to cook and the poppy seeds to lose its raw taste… may be around 2 cups, if needed add in more hot water as and when needed. Because as the poppy seed paste cooks it becomes sticky and tries to stick to the bottom quite easily. So keep on checking and stirring in between. Keep the kadai covered and cook.
6. Once the potatoes get cooked and softens up but has the firmness to retain its shape that means your Aloo Posto is done. It takes about another 15 minutes or so. Taste for salt. You can keep the curry a bit runny or dry depending on your taste preference. I love it a bit dry so I let the extra moisture dry up a bit.
7. Then drizzle with mustard oil. Put off the flame and let it sit for another 5-10 minutes covered. Mix well before serving with light hand. Serve it with hot steaming rice. Mix it with rice and just gulp in for that heavenly taste.