Pui pata diye Posto Bora / Malabar spinach leaves stuffed with poppy seeds paste

 Ok ... I was so chuffed with that break that I was sure I would be cooking a lot and doing a hundred posts in just a few days.
 Well ... in reality, while I was indeed doing a hundred things a day, making a post was definitely not one of them.
Initially, it was the heat that kept me off the kitchen premises. We survived on salads and snacks and juices and some more salads. No full meals at all.
That gave me a lot of time to catch up on my sewing projects.
As well as the knittings. (Photos coming up soon. )
Yes, I knit wool even in summer.

And then the temperature suddenly fell and Pune was back to being its old self again ... read 23 degrees.
Evenings are very pleasant these days with a beautiful cool breeze that turns a little cold too as the night advances and the temperature reads 17 degrees.
So I am back in the kitchen .... cooking all summery meals of the tauks, a lot of ambols, aamer chaatni and a lot of posto too.

Also, I had that beautiful lot of fresh Malabar spinach or our very favourite Pui shaak that I had to finish. I did not want it to wilt and go to waste as it does stay well in the fridge for long.
So quickly cooked a few good dishes with it ( posts coming up soon ).

I had asked for ideas on my page in fb and Christina Roy had given the idea of stuffing it with a fish and the batter frying it.
I did not have fish at hand.
So decided to use posto instead. And since posto or poppy seeds have a binding quality, I did not use a batter ... which would mean deep frying. Not for this hot weather.
So kept it light and pan fried the leaves.
Since they were fresh, they retained their sweetness and made a good combination with the posto.
Loved every bite.

This is a very easy recipe and does not need a lot of prep too. And gets done in a moment.
I have given step by step photographs for the recipe here.
Do try to make it just before you sit for your meal if you like it hot off the pan.

Now, on to the recipe.

Need :

Fresh Pui leaves - slightly big in size
Posto or Poppy seeds - 4 to 5 tbsp
Onion - 1, chopped
Fresh green chillies - 2, chopped
Salt - to taste
Mustard oil - 2 tbsp

How to make it :

Soak the posto for at least 3 hours. Grind into a paste using very little water.
You can check out the post here . 

Pick, wash and lay out to dry the pui leaves like so. Both sides should dry well and have no water on them.

 Mix the posto onions and the green chillies with the posto and salt well.

 Lay the leaves flat and spoon a little of the posto mixture on them. 

 Cover them with another leaf and give a gentle press to hold together.

 Heat mustard oil in a flat pan.
Lay the leaves carefully and gently press them with a finger, to set them.

 When the posto starts to hold, carefully turn them over.

 Remove and place on a paper napkin to blot out any excess oil. 

Serve hot on the side with rice and dal.

Makes for a great Bengali summer lunch when served with steaming hot rice and the tauker dal.

You can check out my Posto diye Pui shaak too.

Enjoy!!