Potol Posto / Pointed gourd cooked with Poppy seeds paste

Nothing much is happening in life right now.
Cooking is light and less and all that I have been doing is drowning in cooling drinks.
The Watermelon juice ( yes, I love it now ) has a permanent place in my fridge these days, as is the chaas or the lightly spiced buttermilk.
I am downing glasses of these and more .... that is when I am not drinking gallons of water.
Pune does not get any rains in summers ... other than a couple of very short and very rare showers ... and we are looking forward to the monsoons.
I have not made any boris or used the sun in any way this time ... not even a jar of pickle.
Been too caught up with some sewing.
And my travels have taken up the larger part of summer this year.

But, since the last few days, the sun has suddenly turned softer. There is a lightness in the air. The mornings are fresh and much cooler than what they were just a week back.
We are back to our routine of early morning tea on our balcony.
The birds still come for their drink of water and later in the day, their bath.
But the sun is not as burning any more.
I hope I am not speaking a little too soon, since we still have the rest of May and the whole of June. But I am enjoying Pune getting back to its cool self.

I have cooked with summer vegetables very rarely too, this time.
Something or the other has been coming up and regular green grocery shopping has been taking a backseat.
I did get some good Potol / Parwal / Pointed gourd twice in the last three weeks. And did cook them in all my regular ways ... mostly the bhaja.
I love potol bhaja with hot rotis or on the side of dal and rice.
But this time, I did make a couple more different recipes ... which I will be posting soon.

This Potol posto was made last year. I had clicked these photos in a hurry ... and was not too happy with them .... so kept postponing making a post the whole of last year.
Came across them when looking for some old photos and decided they are not so bad, after all. I mean, anything to not go through the rigmarole of cooking, arranging and clicking a photograph ... not to mention my shoulder acting up later.

So here is the way I made Potol posto. Try it before the summer runs out.
And the Potol disappears from the markets.

Need :

Potol / Pointed gourd - 250 gms, cut into medium thin slices
Posto / Poppy seeds paste - 5 tbsp
Onion - 1 big, cut into slices
Kalo jeere / Nigella seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard oil - 1 tbsp
Haldi powder - a pinch
Green chillies - 2 , slit
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste

How to :

Heat the oil in a kadai / wok.

Let in the onions + green chillies.

Sprinkle the kalo jeere on them.

Fry well on low heat till the onions turn pink.

Raise heat, add the potol slices and fry well.

Lower heat, add the haldi + salt.

Cover and cook till the potol is half done.

Remove cover, add the posto paste with a little water, the sugar, the green chillies and mix well.

Cover and cook till everything is done and dried up.
Do remember to stir it once in a while.

Serve hot with rice.

Here are a few other recipes with the Potol.

Gotta rush today.
Enjoy!!!

Kuntala's Aloo Posto

 

Kitchen cleaned ... check.
Dals, rice, papads, dry chillies and boris sunned and stocked in air tight bottles .... check.
Achars sunned well and stocked .... check.
Curtains washed ... check.
Pillows and cushions dusted and sunned ... check.
Mattresses sunned .... check.
Covers washed and stored away ... check.
Light quilts sunned .... check.
Light blankets washed .... check.
Light woolens, jackets and shawls sunned and ready .... check.
Winding up half done knittings at a frenzied pace ... check.
(Here is a sneak peek into one .... the throw ... almost done ... just the border needs to be done.
A riot of colours ... isn't it? ) 

Now, to sit back and  watch the clouds as they float by. Slowly increasing by the number every passing day. And I snatch some time from my daily grind to look up at the sky and play my favourite game of making out the shapes of the clouds.

I am ever so ready for the monsoons.

The breeze is heavy with a warm, wet smell ... a tell tale sign of the water content it is carrying.
Or maybe the smell of wet earth from some far off place that has seen rain way before us.
There is a marked cheerfulness all around along with the cool weather.
Even the birds come less for water these days.

When I have so much to do, I keep cooking to the minimum.
One pot meals rule the days ... read lunches; and stuffed parathas rule dinners.
Or maybe a noodles dish or macaroni loaded with lots of vegetables.
Or a simple dal, bhaat, some bhaja and aloo posto or a makha on the side. Light and uncomplicated.
Just like this Aloo posto.

I have posted Aloo posto earlier.
But ever since I have seen this recipe on Kuntala's blog, I have never made aloo posto the conventional way anymore. Kuntala is a wonderful writer. She blogs at Abantor and if you have not read her blog, yet, you are surely missing a lot.
This is her mother's recipe. 

This Aloo posto does not have any temperings, onions or turmeric.
Just the flavours of aloo and posto. And a whiff of fresh green chillies.
And a dash of raw mustard oil.
Nothing a Bengali does not love.
Pure bliss.

Kuntala suggests to keep the posto paste slightly coarse and I have done exactly that.

 Need :

Potatoes - 3 big sized, cut into cubes
Posto / Poppy seeds paste - 4 tbsp
Raw mustard oil - 1 tbsp
Fresh green chillies - 2
Salt - to taste
Water - to cook the potatoes

How to :

Place the potatoes with water in a kadahi with a little salt.

Cover and cook till they are done.

Remove cover and add the posto paste and the green chillies.
Add a little water if necessary.

Give a good mix, cover and cook till all water is soaked up.

Remove cover, spread the mustard oil all over, cover and remove from heat.

Let it stand for some time. 

Serve hot, warm or cool.
The photographs do not do justice to this ... will try to click better snaps the next time.
I have made the Jhinge (ridge gourd ) posto this way too ... was equally good.

Kuntala suggests this with rotis. I have tried and loved the combination.
But I usually make this for lunch and pair it with the bhaja muger dal and steaming hot rice with a big dollop of ghee.
Heaven!

Enjoy!!

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!!

Posto diye Pui / Malabar spinach with Poppy seeds

Do not steal

I was pleasantly surprised to see a big bunch of Pui / Poi / the Malabar spinach at my favourite Bengali store here last weekend.
Though the stems were already very thick and the leaves were a little too big for my taste, I picked up the whole bunch nonetheless ... dreaming of a thousand ... ok ... around five to six different dishes that I'll enjoy these in.

The Pui shaak is common in Bengali meals or dishes ... usually prepared with fish or vegetables or both.
But for people like me who stay away from home and do not have an easy or no access to this leafy vegetable ... it is a delicacy. A very precious delicacy.

Unfortunately am still off fish ... ( I do have every intention of getting
Ilish at least once this season ) ... so made two dishes out of my loot.
One ... the very common and much loved Chorchori.
And the other ... this.

Do not steal

I remember my Ma made a dish with Posto paste and other vegetables ... that used to have pumpkin / kumdo leaves and jackfruit / kathal seeds in it.

So tried to recreate it.

I had some Posto paste after making a few Posto Boras... so used it with the leaves and very chewable stems of the Pui.

I do not get kathal seeds here.
Also I did not use too many vegetables in this as I used them with the Chorchori.

Kept it simple ... just threw in some Turai / ridge gourd to give the dish some body. Of course, you can use potatoes in it too ... I did not.

I had never tasted this combi of posto and pui before ...
must say that I
loved this experiment of mine.

Do not steal

Need :

Posto / Poppy seeds paste - soak the posto seeds for an hour and grind in a mixer
Chopped onion
Pui / Malabar spinach leaves and stems - cleaned and cut into smallish pieces
Chopped Turai / Ridge gourd
Broken green chillies
Oil to cook
Salt to taste
A little sugar ( optional)
A little water to cook

How to :

Heat a little oil in a wok / kadahi.

Add the chopped onions and fry till they turn pink.

Add the turai pieces and the pui leaves and the stem pieces and give a good stir for a while.

Add the green chillies and the posto paste and mix well.

Add some water, salt, sugar and cover.

Cook till the vegetables are well done. Make sure the stems are well cooked. Add water if necessary in between.

Remove cover, dry up any extra water.

Serve hot.

Do not steal

This dish will be slightly sweetish and soft textured ...
... not too watery, not too dry.

Goes great on the side with steamed rice and dal.

An update on Mr.Shalik's family ....
baby number two ... much more beautiful in its downy feathers than its sibling ... left nest,
spent two days fluttering about in my balcony and on the third
day is down on terra firma ...
amongst the plants in the garden.

The parents are with it all the while ... and all is well with them.

And my balcony is empty.

Some Other Posto Recipes

Posto Bora

Aloo Posto

Pyaaj Posto Bhaja

Dankheer

Aloo Posto / Potatoes Cooked in Poppy Seeds Paste

Accepting things is sometimes difficult. Accepting people even more. When I just so badly want rain ... the sun shows off just how well it can scorch.
When I am planning to have an elaborate dinner, the other half does not feel 'too hungry' ... and I make do with a salad ... nah .... I do not even feel happy about the break from the kitchen.
When I want to sit at home and read in the weekend, I am taken on a long endless drive.

Grin and bear? Well ... sometimes I do. Mostly because I am not too aggressive a person .... both temperamentally or vocally. I like peace ... in my heart ... and in the world.
After all Betty Crocker's quiz tells me I am a vanilla cupcake "from the heart" type of person .... some solace that.
Oh yes ... am that worthless ... I go about taking online quizzes to know myself. ;-)

Keeping in line with my posto dishes, I am posting the very favourite Aloo Posto. I still have some posto left from the loot that S got from Calcutta ... and before I run out of stock, I want my blog to have this.
Don't know when I'll get good posto again.


Like I have said before, I believe that you may come across a Bengali who dislikes fish .... or even any non-veg food for that matter, but there is hardly one who does not like Aloo Posto.

Back home, many a completely vegetarian lunch / dinner on a particular day of the week would be saved from complete disregard ... or worse ... getting fully ostracised ... with just this one beautiful dish.

As always, I will say that make sure you have good posto .... which is sweet to taste .... and no matter how much you fry .... will never taste bitter .... unlike the posto we get in the Western part of this country.

Need : Posto / Poppy seeds soaked (for around 2 hours) and ground to a paste, peeled and cubed potatoes, chopped onions, Paanch Phoron, cooking oil ( I use mustard oil ... but any white oil would do ) and salt to taste.


How to : Heat oil in a kadhai / wok. Add the paanch phoron and the chopped onions. Fry for a while.

Add the potatoes and a little salt and cover. When the potatoes are half done add the posto paste, diluted with a little water.

If needed add more water ... don't worry ... they will get soaked up. Cover and cook till the potatoes are done.

Remove cover and cook till it turns dryish. Goes great with hot plain rice with a little ghee on top and dal.
Enjoy !

PS : Am sure there's somebody up there smiling down ... the rain part just got fulfilled. It has just started raining real hard here .... with a gutsy wind and lightning. Yay!!! Am filling my senses with the sweet smell of water on warm earth. Aaaahhh! :-)

Pyaaj Posto Bhaja / Onion & Poppy Seeds Fry

Have been down ... ill ... for the past so many days. Viral. All I am supposed to do now is to gulp down medicines dutifully .... and no cribbing. I did try visiting all the blogs I usually visit ... but was feeling too weak.

Today felt like sitting up a little ... so am posting this. Hope to get back to all the beautiful blogs and recipes soon. :-)

This is something that I always make whenever I get to make Posto paste.

Even if I am making the very delicious Posto Bora or our family favourite .... the Dankheer, I do keep a little of the paste aside and make this bhaja / fry.... that too after having a tough time deciding whether I want to have it Kaancha / raw or to fry it.

Simple, yet delicious.

Need : Posto or Poppy seeds paste, sliced onions, chopped green chillies, salt and a little cooking oil ( I used mustard oil ).

How to : Heat a little oil in a wok / kadhai. add the sliced onions and green chillies. Fry for a while.
Add the posto paste ... if it is too thick you can dilute it with a little water.
Add salt and keep frying till it turns dry.


Goes great with hot rice and dal .... but only if you have not already polished it off before it reaches the dining table. :-)

I'll be hopefully back a little after the Bengali New Year. So here's wishing everybody a great Baisakhi and Subho Nobo Borsho !!

Dankheer / Kheer made from Posto dana or Poppy seeds

Am starting of the New Year with a unique recipe from the in-laws side of the family. I had never heard of anything made this way from Posto / Khus Khus / Poppy seeds. The recipe belongs to MIL's family ... and is a great favourite.
Initially I searched the net but never found a recipe for this. Later, I learnt from SIL.

Dankheer or Danakheer is made from Poppy seeds' milk. It is a kheer ... but not your usual kheer per se ... i.e. it is not sweet. It has a very lightly salted flavour ... so light that when eating it, you can add sugar to make it sweet.
And the rice has to be extra mushy.

It is a full meal by itself ... like a khichdi ..... usually eaten hot with ghee and sugar ..... or with a spicy pickle. I served it with Garlic and Kair pickle.

There was too much of sunlight on my table ... so the snaps don't do justice to this dish. Never again am I going to crib about enough sunlight for snaps. :-p

Need : Poppy seeds, soaked and made into a smooth paste, washed and soaked long grained rice, a pinch of salt, water.

How to : Strain the poppy seed paste, adding a little water at a time to get a thick milk.
In a heavy bottomed pan take water ( it should be a little more than the usual quantity taken to cook rice) and bring to a boil.
Add a pinch of salt.
Add the rice and cook till tender ... but not fully done.
Now add the poppy seeds milk and cover and cook till rice turns mushy and thickens.


Dankheer is best eaten hot. The flavour of rice, poppy seeds and ghee tastes heavenly ! :-)

I did not have the heart to throw away the posto residue .... so made Posto Bhaja or fry. Shall post it next. :-)

Posto Bora / Khus Khus Vada

Posto / Khus khus / Poppy seeds is an absolute favourite among Bengalis. More than using it as an addition to gravies, it is used as a dish by itself. Inspite of being on the dining table, if not every day of the week ... at least 3 to 4 days in a week .... no one tires of it.

In fact, you may come across a Bengali who may not like fish .... but chances are you will never find a Bengali who not only 'likes' posto .... but absolutely loves it.

And if they have moved to a new place, the second thing they will look for is a place where they can get 'good posto' ... the first being , of course, a place where they will get 'good fish'. :-)

I depend on my visits home .... or someone visiting from home .... for my supply of 'good posto'. I had run out of it quite a while back and was craving some when our S said he was going home for a few days and asked what would I want from there. And I shamelessly jumped at the offer and asked for some Posto. :-)

So here's my first post on Posto ... Posto Bora .... or Vadas made from khus khus paste. These are shallow fried ... well not exactly ... just browned on both sides ..... with the minimun of oil and have very few ingredients.

Just two things to keep in mind .....

If the posto is not good, you will get a bitter taste. Good posto always tastes sweet and fresh.

Always add salt in small amounts to posto. Due to its mild flavour, it tends to get salty very fast. So always taste and then add salt.

Need
: Poppy seeds / posto (soaked for at least 2-3 hours and ground into a thick paste), chopped onions, chopped green chillies, salt to taste and a little cooking oil ( preferrably mustard oil).

How to : Mix everything together except the oil.

BTW .... if you mix the oil too .... you can have just like that ... like a salad .... no frying. Tastes awesome. :-)

Shape into tikkis. Heat a non stick tawa. Spray a little oil and place the tikkis.

Wait till one side turns brown.

Then flip them over and spray a little more oil and wait till the side turns brown.

Crispy posto boras are ready. :-)

Great with steamed rice and dal!

Joyeeta had tagged me long back. It is here where I usually speak my mind. :-)