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Aloo Posto

Potatoes in a creamy poppy-seed paste with green chilli — the much-loved everyday Bengali dish with no onion or garlic.

Ingredients

• 4 medium potatoes (about 500 g), cubed
• 4 tbsp poppy seeds (posto)
• 4 green chillies
• ½ tsp nigella seeds
• ½ tsp sugar
• 3 tbsp mustard oil
• 1 tsp raw mustard oil, to finish
• salt to taste

Method

1. Soak the poppy seeds in warm water for 30 minutes. Grind with 2 green chillies and a little water into a smooth paste.
2. Heat mustard oil, crackle nigella and 2 slit green chillies.
3. Add the potatoes and salt, fry 5 minutes till the edges turn golden.
4. Add ½ cup water, cover and cook 10 minutes till the potatoes are almost done.
5. Stir in the posto paste and sugar. Cook uncovered 5 minutes, stirring, till the paste coats the potatoes and turns dry.
6. Drizzle raw mustard oil and serve with rice.

Tip: Posto burns easily — keep the flame low once the paste goes in.