Bengali Jhinge Posto Ridge Gourd Poppy Seed

Method

1. 1

   Soak the posto: Soak white poppy seeds in warm water for 20 minutes until plump and slightly softened.

2. 2

   Grind the posto paste: Drain soaked poppy seeds. Grind with 3 green chilli and a pinch of salt for 4 to 5 minutes — poppy seeds require sustained grinding to become smooth. Add 2 tbsp raw mustard oil and 3 tbsp water. Grind to a very smooth, thick, creamy white paste.

3. 3

   Heat mustard oil: Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil until smoking. Reduce to medium.

4. 4

   Add kalonji: Add nigella seeds — crackle briefly.

5. 5

   Add slit green chilli: Add slit green chilli. Stir 15 seconds.

6. 6

   Add ridge gourd: Add the ridge gourd pieces. Sprinkle turmeric. Stir to coat.

7. 7

   Cook briefly: Cook on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes until the ridge gourd softens and turns translucent.

8. 8

   Add the posto paste: Add the ground poppy seed paste. Stir gently to coat every piece of ridge gourd with the thick white paste.

9. 9

   Add a few tablespoons of water: Add 3 to 4 tbsp water. Stir. Add salt and sugar.

10. 10

    Cook covered 5 minutes: Cover and cook on low heat 5 minutes until the ridge gourd is completely tender and the posto paste has cooked through. The preparation should be thick and the oil should separate slightly around the edges. Serve with steamed rice.

11. 11

    Note: Jhinge Posto (jhinge = ridge gourd, posto = white poppy seed paste) is one of the classic Bengali posto preparations — posto applied to ridge gourd rather than the more common potato. White poppy seeds (posto) are used in Bengali cooking in quantities and ways found nowhere else in Indian cuisine — as a paste, as a dry sprinkle, as a thickener and as a primary flavouring. The use of posto in cooking is so specific to Bengal that the word posto has become metonymic for Bengali identity in food writing.