Alu Posto - Bengali Baby Potatoes in Poppy Seed Sauce

Alu Posto

A favourite at the Bengali table, Alu Posto is surprisingly easy to make. White poppy seeds are soaked in boiling water for an hour or as long as it takes to come to room temperature. This softens the seeds sufficiently to blend to a smooth paste. 

Variety of Baby Potatoes

Microwaved for a quick three minutes, these little potatoes cook just enough to be easy to peel. The dish comes together very quickly and is so delicious!

Stir-Fried Baby Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 lb. variegated baby potatoes

4 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1/4 tsp. nigella/kalonji/kalo jeera seeds

2 green chilies, diced

1 Tbsp. ginger paste

4 Tbsp. posto/white poppy seeds

1 tsp. ghee

salt to taste

Directions:

1. Soak poppy seeds in a cup of boiling water and set aside for an hour.
2. Blend poppy seeds with salt to taste and chilies.
3. Microwave potatoes for 3 minutes and peel.
4. Halve potatoes that are larger, otherwise leave whole.
5. Heat oil over medium-high heat and sputter nigella seeds.
6. Add ginger paste and stir-fry until oil resurfaces.
7. Add potatoes and salt, stir well, lower heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until potatoes are cooked.
8. Pour poppy seed paste over the potatoes, stir again and cook for a further five minutes.
9. Garnish with ghee and serve with steamed rice or chapatis.