In Birbhum, Bengal, Posto or poppy seeds is very popular. At my grandmother’s home, lunch always included a dish made with posto. In most homes in my grandparents neighbourhood, a Post Dish was a must for lunch as was a Dal. When in a crunch, the lady of the house would serve Posto Bata. Posto bata, is ground Posto ( Poppy seeds), which was mixed with chopped onions, and green chilies, and some salt salt and Mustard oil. It is delicious eaten as a first course with hot steamed rice. The Dal that is a must with any Posto dish is called, Kalaier Dal / Biulir Dal ( white Urad Dal / Black Gram) . My Grandmother made many vegetable dishes with Posto,like Lau bori diye posto, Aloo Posto, Jhinge aloo Posto, and a really lovley Chochori ( Mixed vegetable dish ) . Piaj posto is one of the simplest recipes my Grandmother taught me to make. Piaj is onion in Bengali, and Posto is Poppy seeds, so it a dish of Onion and Poppy seed paste. It is very easy to make and is a tasty spicy dish. The flavour and taste in this preparation comes from Mustard oil and Green chilies. The green chilies should be the hot spicy variety.

Ingredients

Onion Sliced 2 cups
Posto bata ( poppy seed paste) 1/4 cup ( grind 6 tsp. poppy seeds with 1 green chili)
Green chilies slit 6 or less.
Salt 3/4 tsp
Mustard oil 5 tablespoons

Preparation

**How to make the posto bata or poppy seed paste:

There are 3 ways of making Poppy seed paste or Posto bata

1 Soak 6 teaspoons of poppy seeds in 1/2 cup of water. Soak them for at least 1/2 hour. Then, grind it together with 1 green chilli and a pinch of salt in an electric grinder. The paste should be 1/4 cup. Do not add too much water.

2. First, use a coffee grinder to make a powder of the Posto or Poppy Seeds. Then, soak it in enough water to make 1/4 cup. Do not use the grinder in which you grind coffee beans. In this method you can’t grind the green chilies with the Posto or Poppy seeds.

3. The traditional way, which is using a Flat Stone Grinder called Sheel Bata.

4. Peel and slice the onions.

5. Slit the green chillies

Jump to Recipe

How to make Piaj Posto

Peel and slice onions like the photo

Heat 4 tablespoons of the mustard oil in a pan or Kadai, save 1 tablespoon for later.

Add slit green chilies and the sliced onions to it.

Fry the onions till the onions are slightly brown, and they look like this.

Add the Posto, or poppy seed paste, and salt. Keep stirring to mix it in well for about 3 to 4 minutes.

Sprinkle the 1 tablespoon mustard oil you had saved.

Switch off the flame and transfer it to a serving dish.