Kancha Posto (Bengali recipe: Raw Poppy Seeds Paste)

Bengali lunch menu has its own beauty. You see, if we are serving a goat or fish curry as our main course, we will prepare lots of other courses before that. So, there will be a starter with ghee (clarified butter) and a Bhaja like Saag or Korola (fried spinach or bitter guard) and then there will be dal (lentils) with some torkari (stir fried vegetables) and finally the highlight of the meal - goat or fish curry. In many families, a dessert like Roshogolla (prepared with Indian cottage cheese and sugar syrup) or Chaler Payesh (prepared by boiling rice in milk and flavored with nuts) is also a must after the meal. Sounds like a lot of food? The trick is to eat small portions of rice with the starter and lentils so that you can enjoy the main course properly while saving some room for the dessert as well.

This weekend we decided to go for an authentic Bengali lunch. Debarshi wanted to prepare Ilish Mach diye Jeerer Jhal (Cumin Fish curry), so I started working on the dal, Bhat and papad (prepared with a batter of gram flour, papad is thin like a crepe but sun dried and crisp, it is found ready made in packets and can be cooked either in microwave or on a skillet or by deep frying) part. I was still thinking about the starter when Debarshi took over. He prepared a quick, appetizing and hot poppy seed paste. We had it as a first course with some steamed rice and it was so flavorful that I couldn’t stop myself from eating some more. So, I thought why wait? This yummy paste should go on my blog right away!

Photo features: Steamed rice with Kancha Posto, Korola Peyaj (Bitter guard with onion), Chicken Korma and Arhar Dal (lentils).

Ingredients:

• Poppy Seeds - 3 tablespoons 
• Garlic – 2-3 cloves
• Green Chili - 2 
• Salt – to taste (about ¼ teaspoon)
• Red Onion – ¼, chopped finely
• Mustard Oil - 1 teaspoon 

Directions:

• Wash the Poppy Seeds in a strainer. Transfer to Nutri Bullet or Food Processor and add 2-3 tablespoons of water. Add the Garlic, Green Chilis and Salt and grind to a smooth paste with a thick consistency.
• Check by pressing a little amount of paste between your thumb and index finger. If it feels grainy grind again.
• Transfer the paste to a serving bowl with a spatula, avoid using your hands (remember the Chilis)
• Add the chopped Onion and Mustard Oil in it and mix well.
• Serve with steamed rice.

Recommended reading:

• Know more about Posto (Poppy Seeds)
• Nutri Bullet – now cook gourmet foods whenever you want
• Panch Bhaja (Crispy Deep Fried Vegetables)
• Korola Peyaj (Stir Fried Bitter Gourd with Onion)
• Alu Posto (Bengali recipe: Potatoes with Poppy Seeds)
• Kacha Aamer Ombol (Bengali chutney with Unripe Mango)
• Shorshe Diye Bata Mach (Bengali recipe: Fish in Mustard Gravy)
• Postor Bora (Bengali recipe: Poppy Seed Fritters)
• Jhinge Alu Posto (Ridge Gourd and Potatoes With Poppy Seeds)
• Bengali Tomato Chatni (chutney) With Dried Fruits