Piyaj Posto, a classic Bengali dish, in which Posto Bata (poppy seeds or khuskhus) is cooked simply with onion. If you're Bengali and familiar with posto, you likely need no introduction. However, if you're new to posto, whether Bengali or not, this dish comes highly recommended. BTW, Piyaj Posto is a Bengali Vegan dish! For everyone else, let's dive straight into the recipe!
You're here for the Piyaj Posto recipe, so I won't waste time with unnecessary details. This flavorful dish is so beloved that a single spoonful can help a Bengali happily finish a large plate of rice. I'll share some valuable tips, especially on how to properly prepare the poppy seed paste (posto bata), and then the recipe itself!
Jump to:
- Debjani's Note - quick below 15 minutes Bengali meals
- Ingredients
- Instructions - Piyaj Posto Recipe steps with pictures
- Frequently asked questions
- Recipe Card
- Substitute and Add-ons
- Tip
- Related Recipes
- My Favorite Bengali Posto Recipes
- Have you tried the Piyaj Posto recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar!
- Here's the Piyaj Posto recipe Pin for your Pinterest Board
Debjani's Note - quick below 15 minutes Bengali meals
It was the time when I was doing my master's. I remember Maa boiling rice on one burner while quickly chopping onions and grinding poppy seeds into a paste with a silnora almost every alternate day. Her goal was simple: to quickly prepare a meal of gorom bhat and peyaj posto for me to eat before I left for university. Unlike school and college, which I attended in the morning sessions, university was a daytime commitment.
Maa needed to cook before 8 AM so I could eat and leave home with a full stomach and a happy mind. So, my breakfast would often be hot rice with ghee and aloo bhate, with dim sheddo - boiled eggs. On other days, maach bhaja would replace the eggs. And, of course, there were the days of hot rice with Piyaj Posto - onion and poppy seed paste cooked together. These were truly the days of 15-minute meals.
Later, during my first and second jobs, I lived alone in remote areas of West Bengal and Bihar. After work, I'd often make a quick Posto Bata, using a mixer grinder this time, and turn it into the classic - Piyaj Posto. This was usually the extent of my cooking, apart from a few other simple dishes.
Then came the days after I got married.
A newly married Bengali couple - I and Mehebub, living in Gurgaon, and we often studied together after work. I was doing PGDM, and Mehebub was doing M.Arch at that period. Now, almost sixteen years later, with a child in school, we still happily prepare this dish. It's usually a Sunday tradition, when all three are home and want to savor the comforting taste of Piyaj Posto.
Ingredients
The ingredients are quite simple, and here they are:
- Posto dana / Khuskhus / Poppy seed
- Onion
- Green Chili
- Tomato
- Salt
- Mustard Oil
And that's all! And if you want to be extra, some coriander leaves or cilantro or dhonepata, maybe. I don't use though.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions - Piyaj Posto Recipe steps with pictures
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Before you make the poppy seed paste, let the poppy seeds sit in water for ten minutes.
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After soaking, drain the water from the poppy seeds and blend them with two or three green chilies and half a teaspoon of salt until smooth. I usually use a blender for this, but you can use a traditional grinding stone - shil nora if you prefer. The paste must be smooth. If needed, add two to three tablespoons of water while blending.
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The paste - posto bata must be smooth. If needed, add two to three tablespoons of water while blending.
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Cut about two medium onions into rough pieces. If your onion is large, one is enough for 100 grams of poppy seeds. Cut two to three green chilies into slices. Also, chop one large tomato. You can leave out the tomato if you like, but I find it helps balance the taste in this dish.
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Next, heat two tablespoons of mustard oil in a pan.
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When the oil changes color, add the sliced onions and cook them until they are light pink. Don't cook them too long.
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Add the chopped tomatoes and one teaspoon of salt. Cook until the tomatoes are soft and the oil separates from the edges of the mixture.
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Finally, add the sliced green chilies and mix everything well.
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Now add posto bata and mix.
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You could dry the poppy seeds now to finish cooking, but this might make them taste bitter. Instead, pour in one cup of water and let it cook off. This prevents the poppy seed paste from becoming bitter.
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When it's ready, let it dry until oil appears around the edges. Stir in one tablespoon of mustard oil for more spice and a good color. Mix it, then turn off the heat.
Frequently asked questions
The poppy plant is amazing because it's where we get opium from. But poppy pods from illegal farms are sold for a lot of money illegally. When these pods are crushed, they give us poppy seeds, known as "khus khus" or "Posto" in India. This spice is very costly right now. In India, growing opium is very controlled. It's only allowed in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, and only for medicine and research.
No, eating posto or poppy seeds is not banned in India. It's a popular ingredient in Bengali food. However, if you plan to buy poppy seeds in India to take with you, be aware that many countries don't allow them. Always check the rules. If they are allowed, you can easily buy them in Indian grocery stores.
The amount of poppy seeds needed for four servings depends on the recipe. For dishes like Piyaj Posto or Posto bata, 100g of poppy seeds is plenty. I typically use two onions with 100g of poppy seeds. Since poppy seeds are costly, you can use 75g of poppy seeds and three onions if you want to use less.
Recipe Card
Piyaj Posto Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 100 g Posto dana / Khuskhus / Poppy seed
- 2 Onion medium
- 5 Green Chili
- 1 Tomato big
- 1.5 teaspoon Salt or to taste
- 3 tablespoon Mustard Oil
Instructions
- First, soak the poppy seeds in water for 10 minutes.
- After soaking, drain the water and blend the poppy seeds with 2-3 green chilies and ½ teaspoon of salt until smooth. A mixer grinder works well for this, but you can also use a traditional grinding stone or Shil nora. If the paste is too thick, add 2-3 tablespoons of water.
- Next, roughly chop two medium onions. If your onion is large, one will be enough for 100g of poppy seeds.
- Slice 2-3 green chilies.
- Chop one large tomato. While optional, adding a tomato to this dish helps balance the flavors.
- Now, heat 2 tablespoons of mustard oil in a pan.
- Once the oil changes color, add the chopped onions and cook until they are light pink. Be careful not to overcook them.
- Then, add the chopped tomatoes and 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Continue cooking until the tomatoes soften and the oil separates from the mixture.
- Finally, stir in the sliced green chilies.
- Blend and combine the ingredients.
- Once cooked, allow it to dry until oil separates around the edges.
- Now add posto bata or poppy seed paste and mix it.
- Add one cup of water and let it evaporate while cooking in the pan.
- For a richer color and stronger flavor, stir in one tablespoon of mustard oil.
- Mix well, then turn off the heat.
- Serve the Piyaj Posto with hot rice!
Notes
Substitute and Add-ons
- For 100 grams of poppy seeds, I typically use two medium onions; you can change this amount as needed.
- Tomatoes are not required, but they help to even out the taste.
- Add more or less green chilies to suit your preference. I put two green chilies in the paste and three more when cooking.
- Mustard oil is ideal for this dish, but if you don't like its strong taste or can't find it, use any oil without flavor.
- Adding cilantro or coriander leaves can improve the taste, but I usually don't.
Tip
- After adding the poppy seed paste to the pan, I pour in one cup of water and cook until the water is gone, which prevents the poppy seeds from tasting bitter.
Nutrition
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
My Favorite Bengali Posto Recipes
- Aloo Posto
- Bengali Jhinge Posto | Jhinge Aloo Posto Recipe
- Shorshe Posto Mach | Rui Maach Shorshe Posto Bata Diye
- Gota Posto Diye Aloo Bhaja
- Shorshe Posto Dharosh Recipe | Bhindi or Okra cooked with mustard and poppy seed paste
- Posto Diye Laushak Bhate | Bengali Bottle Gourd leaves Mash with Poppyseed Paste
- Posto Mangsho (Bengali Mutton Curry cooked with Poppy Seed Paste)
- Postor Bora | Bengali Poppy Seed Fritters
Have you tried the Piyaj Posto recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar!
Please inform me of your experience, and feel free to send a photo to [email protected]. Additionally, you can find me on various social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, Google News, X, and Thread. Don't forget to use the hashtag #debjanirrannaghar when sharing your attempts at my recipes or if you have any questions or recipe requests.
Here's the Piyaj Posto recipe Pin for your Pinterest Board
About Debjani Chatterjee Alam
I am Debjani Chatterjee Alam. A CSR specialist by profession and a food writer, food blogger, and food photographer as well. I live in Kolkata along with my Husband Mehebub who is an architect by profession, my daughter Pasta, and also my dog daughters Coffee and Luchi.
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