Sunday, November 2, 2008

Aloo Jhinga Posto/Potato & Ridge Gourd with Khus Khus

Posto or khus khus or poppy seeds is found sometimes in Bengali cooking. Since childhood, we have been eating "Aloo jhinga posto", but I never attempted to make it. I thought it was too difficult. Turns out, it is very simple. This is another recipe I got from my mom. She always uses Panch Phoron in this dish. Panch Phoron is a blend of five spices in equal quantities, that is very commonly used in Bengali cooking. The five spices included are:
Fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
Nigella seeds (kalonji/kalo jeera)
Mustard seeds (rai/shorshe) or Wild Celery Seeds (radhuni)
Fennel seeds (sauf/mouri)
Cumin seeds (jeera)
Adding onions in this dish is optional because many people feel that adding onions makes the dish a bit sweet.
Ingredients:
Ridge Gourd/Jhinga: 2
Potato: 1 (diced)
Onion 1 medium (chopped) optional
Posto/khus khus: 3tbsp
Green Chilli: 2
Panch Phoron: 2tsp
Turmeric Powder: a pinch
Salt
Oil
Method:
1. Grind the posto in the mixer for a bit, till the seeds break a little. Then add a little bit of water and the green chillies and grind to a smooth paste.
2. In hot oil, saute the potatoes and then keep aside.
3. In the same oil (add more if needed), add the panch phoron. When it starts popping and crackling, add the onion. Add salt and a pinch of turmeric powder.
4. Saute this till the onion looses its colour. Add the potatoes and cook for a while.
5. When the potatoes are half done, add the jhinga. The jhinga cooks faster than the potatoes, which is why it is added after the potatoes are half cooked. Cover and cook. Add water if required.
6. When the vegetable is cooked, add a little water and bring to a boil. I prefer this dish dry, but it can have some gravy if needed.
7. Add the posto paste and cook for around 3-5 mins. The posto paste should not be cooked for a long time as it can turn bitter ruining the whole dish.
8. Serve hot with rice.

8 comments:

  1. Nice recipe. adding khus khus surely gives richness to any dish.

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  2. Ridgegord N Aloo is a nice combination .. I love bong cuisine

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  3. Eta ki holo? Ami bhabchi posto bhejabo aar tomar post o ready! :-)
    Aloo postor jobab nei .. ki bolo? :-) Panch phoron ar kancha lonka chara aloo posto bhabai jayena.
    Khub bhalo lagche tumi regularly post korcho .. baccha nie o.:-)

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  4. OK...love the extra touch to the pics...the labeling is good! And finally posto online...is very useful posto.

    OK...get this...we're broke here. And we ran out of gas a few days ago, so we've been surviving on microwave and outside food...so yesterday we decided (I decided) to get a fire going and cook something on the balcony. So I made...

    Grilled lamb chops - papaya, pepper, garlic, chillies, mint and parsley, curd paste and let the meat soak over the afternoon - it was beautifoooooool. Tender. Rare. Succulent.

    And we also did chicken legs marinaded in garlic, red chillies, soya sauce, vinegar, brown sugar and herbs. Yummy wing style.

    ANd for salad, we had roast potatoes with steamed carrots and peas, microwave boiled eggs, in a dressing of crumbled feta cheese, garlic, yogurt and a drop of butter (wanted olive oil but ran out).

    All with a loaf of wheat bread...would've sent you pics, but the cam is being repaired from my last great fall.

    And oh one more thing, I lit the fire, with hair dryer in under 10 minutes. Smooth, easy kawoooosh sorta fire. Who's the fire starter!

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  5. In case you're wondering how broke people acquire such ingredients, I have one word for you - SODEXO!

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  6. interesting combo!! looks gr8...my first time here...u have a lovely space!

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  7. Hi San
    Thanks for your comments... ofcourse yes! thanks for adding me in ur list!
    Happy blogging.

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