posto – Batter Up With Sujata

Ivy Gourd With Poppy Seeds

Ivy gourds or kundru with potato and poppy seeds.
A very delicious dry curry with ivy gourd, potatoes and poppy seeds or khaskhas. You don’t need any spices except turmeric and poppy seeds.

Coccinia grandis, the ivy gourd, also known as scarlet gourd, tindora, and kowai fruit, is a tropical vine. It grows primarily in tropical climates and is commonly found in the southern Indian states, where it forms a part of the local cuisine. Coccinia grandis is cooked as a vegetable
Wikipedia

Available as a dietary supplement, ivy gourd is said to have potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects that may aid in the prevention or treatment of a diverse range of health conditions, from diabetes and high cholesterol to high blood pressure and obesity.
Source

Sending this post to A to Z challenge, a challenge initiated on Facebook Group, created by Jolly and Vidya.
Wherein a group of bloggers come together and we choose key ingredients alphabetically to cook and post a dish every alternate month. This month’s Alphabet is letter I. And I made this recipe using ivy gourd.

I have missed letter A. Here are some recipes I have shared for this challenge.

Beetroot shot

Corn cottage cheese stir fry

Date walnut fudge

Eggs in poppy seeds and tomato gravy

Fennel oats millet cookies

Ginger noodles

Hazelnut honey chocolate mango smoothie

Its a very easy to make yet superbly delicious curry. If you have ground paste ready then you can make it in a ziffy. You can also make it without potatoes or use less potato if you want. Use green chilli according to your taste.

Recipe

Ivy gourd – 250 gram

Potatoes – 2

Onion – 3, thinely sliced

Poppy seeds or khaskhas – 3 tablespoon

Green chilli – 2 – 3

Nigella seeds or kalonji – 1/4 teaspoon, optional

Mustard oil – 2 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon

Method

1. Soak the poppy seeds in 1/3 cup hot water for 30 minutes.

2. After 30 minutes strain the water and grind with 1 – 2 green chilli and 2 – 3 tablespoon water. You can add little more water if required. Make a smooth paste.

3. Rinse the ivy gourd well. Cut both ends and make half lengthwise. Make thin slices.

4. Peel the potatoes. Wash well and make thin slices.

5. Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a pan. Add nigella seeds or kalonji if using.

6. Add thinly sliced onion. Fry for a minute.

7. Add thinly sliced ivy gourds and potatoes. Stir well.

8. Add salt and turmeric powder. Mix and cover the pan. Cook on low heat. Keep stirring in-between.

9. When the ivy gourd and potatoes becomes brown add poppy seeds and green chilli paste. Rinse the grinder jar with 1/4 cup water and add with it. Mix and add 1 – 2 slit green chilli if you want spicy.

10. Cook on high heat. Keep stirring.
When the curry dried up and changed it’s colour to brown. Add 1 teaspoon mustard oil and mix. This step is optional. I have added it for an extra zing. You can skip this step if you want.

11. Remove from heat. Your ivy gourd with poppy seeds is ready.
Garnish with green chilli or cilantro/coriander leaves.
Serve hot with steamed rice or any bread.

Notes
1. Use green chilli according to your taste.
2. You can also use red chilli powder if you want.
3. You can make this dry curry without potatoes or less potato.
4. Nigella seeds or kalonji is optional. If you don’t have nigella seeds or you don’t like the flavour skip it.

If you tried my recipe, you can share your food pictures with me in the social network sites by using the hashtag, #batterupwithsujata
I would love to see your creations.

I would love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts and suggestions in comment.
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Data Posto Or Drumsticks With Poppy Seeds

Data posto or drumsticks with poppy seeds.
Data posto is a very common dish of Bengali household. You can make it with tender and thick both type of drumsticks. If you are using thick drumstick scrap the skin before using. Sometimes we make it with only poppy seeds and green chilli paste and sometime adding mustard powder with or without poppy seeds. All the three dishes taste totally different and delicious.
I have already shared a drumstick or sojne data recipe with mustard and panch phoran or Bengali five spices. Get the recipe here

Poppy seed is an oilseed obtained from the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum). The tiny poppy seed is mentioned in ancient medical texts from many civilizations. It takes 3,300 poppy seeds to make up a gram, and a pound contains between 1 and 2 million seeds. Poppy seeds are widely used in Austrian, Indian, Croatian, Czech, German, Hungarian, Romanian, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Turkish and Ukrainian cuisines.
7 Health Benefits Of Poppy Seeds

1. Poppy seeds can improve your digestion.
2. Poppy seeds can assist in antioxidant defense.
3. Poppy seeds can assist in red blood cell formation.
4. Poppy seeds can help improve cognitive functioning.
5. Poppy seeds may boost your bone health.
6. Poppy seeds are perfect for helping manage your blood pressure.
7. Poppy seeds can help your slumber at night.
Source

Today I am sharing two different taste of drumstick with poppy seeds or khas khas. One with only poppy seeds or khas khas and green chilli and other is with mustard powder and poppy seeds. Recipe is similar but adding mustard, you will get totally different taste. You can skip potato if you want, make it with only drumstick. My mother in law used to make it with only thick variety drumsticks.

Recipe is very easy and simple. You need only poppy seeds and green chilli paste with salt and turmeric powder. If you want to make sorshe posto die data or drumsticks with poppy seeds and mustard then add only 1 tablespoon mustard powder with poppy seeds paste.

Recipe

Drumstick – 250 gram

Potatoes – 2 large

Poppy seeds or khas khas – 3 tablespoon

Green chilli – 3 – 4 or to taste

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Mustard oil – 1 & 1/2 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon

Water – 1 & 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup

For poppy seeds and mustard drumstick –
Mustard powder – 1 tablespoon

Method

1. Soak poppy seeds or khas khas in 1/4 cup hot water for 30 minutes or microwave for 1 minute.

2. Grind soaked poppy seeds with green chilli with the help of little water.

3. Peel and cut the potatoes lengthwise.

4. Rinse and cut the drumsticks into 2 inch piece. If you are using thick drumstick then scrap the skin lightly.

5. Heat 1& 1/2 tablespoon mustard oil in a pan or wok.

6. Add chopped potatoes and drumsticks. You can add 1/2 teaspoon Nigella seeds or kalonji for tempering. I didn’t. Add Nigella seeds in hot oil before adding potatoes and drumstick if using.

7. Fry for 2 – 3 minutes.
Add salt, turmeric powder and green chilli, poppy seeds paste. Mix well.

8. If you want to make it with poppy seeds and mustard, then soak 1 tablespoon mustard powder in 3 tablespoon water for 10 – 15 minutes. Add with poppy seeds and green chilli paste. But first time try it with only poppy seeds and then try with mustard to enjoy both taste.

9. When dried up add water. Cover and cook till potatoes and drumsticks becomes soft and dried up completely.

10. Add 1 teaspoon mustard oil and mix well. This step is optional but adding mustard oil at the end gives extra zing.
Serve with steamed rice.

Note

Potatoes are optional. You can make it with only drumsticks.

If you tried my recipe, you can share your food pictures with me in the social network sites by using hash tag, #batterupwithsujata
I would love to see your creations.

Sukto / Bengali Mixed Vegetables

Sukto
Sukto or shuktoni is a Bengali traditional dish.
Mixed vegetables with less spices. Its taste mildly bitter and lightly sweet. In Bengali platter traditionally people start eating with a bitter dish, then main course in lunch. And the last course is sweet. Elderly people say that if you start your meal with a bitter dish then you feel other dishes more tasty 😀

Usually bitter gourd is used in sukto. But I heard from my mom that if it is preparing for marriage or any such auspicious occasion bitter gourd shouldn’t be used in it. That called misti sukto or sweet sukto. All the ingredients are same but it will be without bitter gourd.

Generally sukto is served with steamed rice.
Never thought of sharing sukto recipe on my blog. Because I thought its a very common recipe in Bengali household. But recently I was browsing through some Bengali traditional recipes. And noticed that every sukto recipe is different. So decided to share my both mother’s recipe. Yes my mother and mother in law both used to follow same recipe.

In Bengal radhuni is must in sukto. According to Wikipedia radhuni is known as wild celery in English. And known as ajmod in Hindi.

In Bengal radhuni in used in panch phoran or five spices mix. Panch phoran consists of fenugreek seeds or methi, Nigella seed or kalaunji, cumin seed or jeera, mustard seed or sarso and fennel seed or sounf.
But outside Bengal its not available so we (প্রবাসী বাঙালি) don’t use it.
But this time I have a packet of radhuni which I have bought from Kolkata. So I have used it. If you don’t have radhuni you can omit it. I have used whatever vegetables I have. You can use any vegetables of your choice like drumstick, raw papaya, sweet potato etc.
I like very mild bitter taste in sukto so used only 1/4 of bitter gourd but if you like you can use 1 small bitter gourd.

Recipe

Potato – 2

Raw banana – 2

Flat beans – 4 – 5

Radish or muli – 1 small

Eggplant or aubergine – 1 small

Bitter gourd or karela – 1/4

Mustard oil – 3 – 4 tablespoon

Panch phoran ( mixture of fenugreek, nigella, mustard, cumin and fennel seeds) – 2 teaspoon

Salt and sugar to taste

Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon

Aniseed or sounf – 1 tablespoon

Poppy seeds – 2 tablespoon

Ginger – 1 inch piece

Mustard powder – 2 teaspoon

Bari or dried lentil dumplings – 1/4 cup

Radhuni – 1/4 teaspoon

Flour or atta – 1 tablespoon

Milk – 1/2 cup

Ghee or clarified butter – 1 teaspoon

Method

1. Soak mustard powder in 2 tablespoon water, mix and keep aside.

2. Soak aniseed or sounf in water.

3. Soak poppy seeds in hot water for 15 – 20 minutes.

4. Peel and chop the potatoes and raw banana lengthwise.

5. Chop the radish, flat beans and eggplant or aubergine lengthwise.

6. Cut the bitter gourd in thin round pieces.

7. Wash and drain all the vegetables.
Keep the bitter gourd aside.

8. Grind the poppy seeds, aniseed and ginger with the help of little water. Make a smooth paste.

9. Dry roast 1 teaspoon panch phoran and grind. I have used my mortal pestle to make powder of these roasted spices.

9. Heat oil in a pan. Fry all the vegetables separately.

10. Fry the bari or dried lentil dumplings.

11. At last fry the bitter gourd pieces and keep aside.

12. Add 1 teaspoon Pancho phoran,1/4 teaspoon radhuni and bay leaf in hot oil. Let the panch phoran splutter.

13. Add all the fried vegetables except bitter gourd.
Add poppy seeds, aniseed and ginger paste. Saute till it dried up.

14. Add salt, sugar, turmeric powder and soaked mustard powder.
Mix well.

15. Saute for 1 – 2 minutes. Add water and cover. Cook till the vegetables become tender.

16. Mix flour in milk. Mix well to make it lump free.

17. Add dried lentil dumplings and flour milk mixture. Mix well and cook till you get your desired consistency.

18. At last add fried bitter gourd pieces and 1 teaspoon ghee or clarified butter.

19. Taste and adjust the salt if require.
Remove from heat. Add roasted and powdered panch phoran and mix.

20. Your sukto is ready to serve.
Serve with hot steamed rice.

Notes

1. You can use any vegetables of your choice like drumstick, raw papaya, sweet potato etc.

2. If you don’t have radhuni you can omit it.

3. If you want to make it in less oil fry the bitter gourd pieces first. And then saute all the vegetables altogether. But traditionally vegetables should be fried separately.

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Eggs In Mustard And Poppy Seeds Or Sorse Posto Dim

Sorshe posto dim or eggs in mustard and poppy seeds.

Eggs are easy to cook and always available. Whenever I want to cook in a hurry eggs are there for rescue.

But it will be boring if we have to cook onion tomato gravy everytime. So here is a delicious curry recipe with some different spices. Mustard and poppy seeds or sorse/sarso posto/khaskhas curry. The recipe is from Bengali cuisine. Very easy, quick, spicy and tasty.

Eggs are not only delicious, they are extremely nutritious too. Eggs are an excellent source of protein and provide essential nutrients.

With high quality protein its provide vitamins and minerals such as zinc, iron and copper.

I have made this egg curry with potato. Potatoes makes the curry more yummy.

Recipe

Eggs – 2 -3

Potato – 1 large

Mustard powder – 1 & 1/2 teaspoon

Poppy seeds or khaskhas/posto – 2 teaspoon

Tomato – 1 chopped

Green chilli – 3 – 4

Garlic cloves – 3

Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Kashmiri red chilli powder – 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Nigella seeds or Kalonji – 1/4 teaspoon

Mustard oil – 2 tablespoon

Method

Peel and chop the potato in length wise. Wash them properly.

Boil the eggs and peel them. Pierce with a knife and keep aside.

Soak the mustard powder in little water. Stir well. Make a smooth paste.

Soak poppy seeds in hot water or microwave with water for 1 minutes on high power. Let it soak for 1/2 an hour. Soaking make it easy to grind.

Now grind the poppy seeds with 2 green chilli and garlic. Make a smooth paste. Add tomato in it and grind again into a smooth and fine paste.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the nigella seed or kalonji. Then add potatoes. Fry till the potatoes starts to change it’s colour. Add the poppy seeds, green chilli, garlic and tomato paste.

Saute and add salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Saute till oil leaves the sides.

Add soaked mustard powder, mix well and add water as require to make gravy. Add the eggs and 1 -2 green chilli. Let it boil. Cover and cook on low flame until the potato becomes soft.

Remove the cover. Check and adjust the seasoning. Adjust the thickness of the gravy. You can add more water if require. I like the gravy thick.

Add 1 teaspoon mustard oil mix and switch off the flame. Adding oil at the end is optional. You can skip it if you don’t like.

Make the eggs half before serving. You can half them before frying too. Cut the eggs length wise. Or keep the eggs full if you like.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and green chilli. Serve hot with steamed rice.