Aloo Posto

5 from 6 votes

Aloo Posto is a Bengali dish of potatoes stir-fried with a vibrant mix of panch phoron -- a five-spice mix -- then doused in a creamy poppy seed sauce. It's as delicious as it is simple and it makes the perfect side for dal and rice or roti.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian (Bengali)

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 126kcal

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan

Equipment

Ingredients

6 tablespoons poppy seeds (khus khus)
2 green chili peppers (split down the middle)
1 tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil (or mustard oil, if you have it)
1 tablespoon panch phoron
1 pound potatoes (baby potatoes are great, but you can use regular sized yellow or red potatoes. Halve or quarter the baby potatoes. If using regular potatoes chop into ¾-inch cubes)
Salt to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Soak poppy seeds in ½ cup water for 30 minutes. Add green chili peppers to the blender jar and blend into a very smooth paste.
Heat oil in a kadhai or wok over medium-high heat. Add the panch phoron. If using mustard oil, wait for the oil to begin smoking before adding the panch phoron.
As soon as the mustard crackles add the potatoes to the wok and mix. Stir-fry the potatoes for a couple of minutes.
Add the blended poppy seed paste and a cup of water to the potatoes and mix well. Add salt to taste and bring to a boil.
Lower heat to medium-low, cover the wok, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
Let the aloo posto continue cooking, uncovered, until the sauce has reduced quite a bit and is almost dry. Check salt and turn off heat. Serve hot or warm.

Notes

Ingredient notes

Poppy seeds (khus khus). Use white poppy seeds, which are typically used in Indian cooking.
Green chili peppers. You can use locally available jalapeno peppers or serrano peppers. If you have access to an Indian store buy the slim, spicy green chilies sold there. If sensitive to heat deseed the peppers and/or use just one. You can make the recipe as mild or as spicy as you like.
Panch phoron. This is a simple mix of five whole-seed spices -- nigella seeds (kalonji), cumin seeds (jeera), fenugreek seeds (methi), mustard seeds (sarson) and fennel seeds (saunf). If you don't have panch phoron on hand just mix half a teaspoon of each of these seeds.
Potatoes. Small potatoes, like new potatoes or baby potatoes, make for a prettier presentation, but regular sized red or yellow potatoes are fine. Don't use starchy potatoes that bread down easily, like russet potatoes, in this recipe.
Mustard oil. Edible mustard oil is not sold in the United States because it contains erucic acid, a known carcinogen. Indian stores do stock it but it is sold as a massage oil because of FDA labeling requirements. If you have mustard oil, use it in this recipe for an authentic and traditional flavor. Indian cooks heat mustard oil until it smokes gently before adding other ingredients to it because it is believed to get rid of some of the bad stuff.

Nutrition