Posto, also known as poppy seeds or khus khus, is almost synonymous with Bengali gourmet. Aloo Posto, Jhinge Posto, Potol Posto and Postor Bora - there is no dearth of recipes that a Bengali household can cook up with these seeds as their main ingredient. These nutrient-rich waxy seeds contain a good amount of fibre, minerals, folate and thiamine, and thus are often used as a paste in gravy, in place of cashew nuts to make them thicker. Here are some posto-based dishes that you can try at home.
Chicken Chaap With Posto
A lip-smacking dish from Awadhi kitchens, Chicken Chaap is quite simple to make. All you need are big pieces of chicken chaap that are marinated in posto paste, ginger-garlic paste and curd along with powdered spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, red chilli powder and flavoured with kewra essence. For better taste, fry the chicken in ghee before adding them to the gravy. Serve it hot with roti or Kolkata-style or Awadhi-style biryani.
Egg Curry With Posto And Onion Leaves
A simple egg curry recipe that is flavoured with khus khus paste and spruced up with finely chopped onion leaves is a must-try if you are a posto lover. The dish has a unique taste of its own because of the posto paste that lends it its thickness as well. Enjoy with plain hot basmati rice for a scrumptious lunch.
Khus Khus Ki Sabzi
If you are planning a quick veggie dish with puri or phulka, Khus Khus Ki Sabzi is something that you should definitely try. To prepare this dish, you need onions, ginger garlic paste, finely-chopped tomatoes and spices along with khus khus paste to make a rich gravy that is tangy and mouth-watering.
Heat the oil and temper it with mustard seeds and bay leaves before adding the ginger garlic paste. Saute it for one minute, add the khus khus paste and cook it until it turns golden brown in colour. Add red chilli powder, turmeric and chopped tomatoes and cook them well. Garnish with coriander leaves. You may also add potatoes to this recipe if you are a potato buff, but be sure to fry them before adding them to the gravy.
Khus Khus Ka Doodh
If you happen to visit Punjab during the winter season, you will surely be treated to this sumptuous variety of milk made of khus khus paste, almonds, sugar and cinnamon. Mix all the ingredients in hot milk and serve it for a warm, tasty and aromatic drink. To get the authentic taste of it, avoid keeping the khus khus milk in the refrigerator or reheating it. Instead, serve hot and fresh immediately after preparing it.
Satarupa B. Kaur has been writing professionally for a decade now. But, she is always on the go; she loves to travel, books, and playtime with her toddler as she explores new places and food!
