Aloo Posto (Bengali Potatoes in Poppy Seed Sauce)

Alu Posto is a classic Bengali dish of stir-fried potatoes with a vibrant mixture of panch phoron — a five-spice mixture — then doused in a creamy poppy seed sauce. It’s as delicious as it is easy and makes the perfect side to dal and steamed rice or roti.

What is Alu Posto?

Aloo Posto (Aloo Posto) is an Indian recipe of potatoes cooked in a mild but spicy poppy seed sauce.

Although it is one of the best-known vegetarian dishes in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, you may not find it in any Indian restaurant. Not eating it, however, would be missing out on one of the tastiest Indian potato recipes.

Potatoes are common in many Indian dishes such as aloo gobi, bombay aloo, jeera aloo and dum aloo. But the Bengali potato posto, pronounced “a-loo posh-to” with a soft “t,” is rather unique for a few reasons. For one, it’s spiced with a vibrant blend of seed spices, panch phoron, which laces the dish with spicy, bitter, earthy and sweet notes. For another, Aloo Posto is tossed in a dry but creamy poppy seed sauce instead of coconut sauce or cream sauce, as in many South Indian and North Indian recipes.

Poppy seeds are used in many spicy Indian curries but none use them with the skill, profusion and love of Bengali cooks. They mix it into creamy sauces for fish, meat, beans, and vegetables, mix it into a chutney with mustard and green chilies, and mash it with potatoes to make crispy fries, among dozens of delicious applications.

How well they understand the uses of poppy seeds is clearly shown in a potato post. No one would think of neutral potatoes and poppy seeds as culinary soul mates. But when Bengali cooks marry them to each other with a sprinkling of panch fodan, the result is a dish that sings to your taste buds and enlivens them.

Index

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Uniquely delicious. This aloo posto recipe is a very different dish from the aloo matar, aloo palak and other Indian potato dishes you may be used to, but it is absolutely delicious.
• Easy to make. This is an easy Indian dish to add to your repertoire. It couldn’t be easier to cook and the result tastes stunning.
• versatile. Serve this Aloo Posto with almost any Indian dish for a truly comfort food experience.
• Nut-free, soy-free, vegetarian and gluten-free. The creaminess here comes from poppy seeds, not nuts, making this dish friendly to most diets.

material

Go to the recipe card below for the exact amount of ingredients.

• poppy seeds (Khus Khus). Use white poppy seeds, which are commonly used in Indian cooking.
• Chopped green chillies. You can use locally available jalapeño peppers or serrano peppers. If you have access to an Indian store, buy the thin, spicy green chilies sold there. If sensitive to heat, omit the pepper and/or use just one. You can make the recipe as mild or spicy as you like.
• Panch Fouran. It is a simple blend of five whole-seed spices – nigella seeds (kalanji), cumin seeds (jeera), fenugreek seeds (methi), mustard seeds (sarson) and fennel seeds (sanf). If you don’t have five phorone on hand, mix half a teaspoon of each of these seeds.
• potatoes. Small potatoes, such as new potatoes or baby potatoes, make a nice presentation, but regular-sized red or yellow potatoes are better. Do not use starchy potatoes in this recipe like russet potatoes which bread easily.

variety

• Some cooks add onions to this recipe. If you want to include it, thinly slice a medium red onion and add to the pan after the seeds have been removed. Fry until soft before adding the potatoes.
• Turmeric is not traditionally added to potato posto but if you want to add it for its health benefits, add half a teaspoon of turmeric powder after spluttering the mustard, then quickly add the potatoes.

What to serve with potato posto

Storage instructions

• Keep in fridge: Aloo Posto can be refrigerated for up to three days. Store in an airtight container before refrigerating.
• Freezing: Place the potato posto in a freezer-safe container and refrigerate for up to three months.
• Reheat: Melt and reheat in microwave or oven. Add little water if necessary.

More Vegan Indian Potato Recipes

If you like this Aloo Posto recipe, be sure to check out more vegetarian Indian recipes at Holy Cow Vegan!