Posto Bata | Traditional Bengali Food

Posto Bata | Traditional Bengali Food

Author: Rumki Paul
Course: Main
Cuisine: Bengali
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4 Persons

Posto Bata is one of the most delectable traditional Bengali food recipes. It is hugely popular in West Bengal especially among ‘Ghoti’. In this preparation, Poppy seeds are pasted with green Chillies and cooked in Mustard oil with a pinch of salt. It is always served with Piping hot steamed rice.

Many people think there is nothing called Bengali veg recipe. Few people also have the misconception that Bengalis eat only fish in their meal with some sides like dal, saag etc. But actually there are many rich, delectable and flavoured Bengali veg dishes. Posto(Poppy seeds) recipes are few of them.

Traditional Bengali food has always attracted me since my childhood. I have grown up eating those authentic dishes like Potol Posto, Aloo Posto, Chanar Dalna, Posto Bata etc. My mom used to prepare Posto Bata on every Saturdays which was considered as the veg day of week too. I loved the dish so much that I had my full plate of rice with the Posto Bata and a green Chilli.

Posto Bata is one of the easiest recipes that I have ever tried in my life. It is so simple and quick. But the most jaw dropping factor of the dish is its outstandingly delicious taste. It requires only four basic ingredients to get prepared.

Posto Bata is a very demanding dish among Bengalis. It is prepared at least once in a week in every Bong house in West Bengal. It can be cooked in many ways. Few people love to eat Kacha Posto Bata, and few prefer to eat Bhapa Posto Bata. Though almost similar ingredients are used in both the preparations, but still they have a different and unique taste and texture.

Other than these, there is another version of Posto Bata recipe where poppy seeds paste is slow cooked in kadai for a generous amount of time. Today, I am going to share this traditional recipe with you. I got this recipe from my mom and she got it from my DIDI MAA (grandmother). You can call it a hundred years old recipe too.

Today I am dedicating this traditional Bengali food recipe to all the Posto lovers. If you are a Bong, then I am pretty sure that a bowl of Posto Bata with Gorom Bhaat(Steamed Rice) is more than enough to satisfy your palate and complete your meal. The peaceful sleep after this meal makes the day special.

Posto Bata with step by step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section of the recipe.

Posto recipes

There is an eternal relation between Posto and Bengali cuisine. Both are incomplete without each other. There are many salivating vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes that are prepared with this magical ingredient.

Posto (Poppy Seeds) has a very regular use in Bengali Kitchen. They are used to prepare fritters, stuffing, gravy thickener and as toppings on Bengali sweets. Aloo Posto, jhinge posto and posto bora are the few of the most famous names of poppy seeds recipes which make the whole nation crazy.

How to make Posto Bata?

For the Bengali veg recipe, first I have soaked the poppy seeds in water for half an hour. It helps to grind them evenly and properly. In early ages, posto paste was done by ‘Shil-Nora’ (Sil-Batta) which is also known as Bengali Pestle & Mortar. But now a days, this job is done with a grinder or a blender.

I have added green Chillies with poppy seeds to the jar to grind it to a smooth paste. Green Chillies give a spicy hot touch to the dish with a soothing flavour.

Then I have added Mustard oil and whole green chillies to the paste and mixed it nicely before adding into the kadai. Mustard oil goes great with poppy seeds preparations. They complement each other and enhance the taste of the dish.

I have cooked the poppy seeds paste in kadai for some time. First, I have cooked them in medium flame and then cooked them in low flame. It is very important to cook them slowly to get the correct texture.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Poppy seeds
• 5 green Chillies, 2 for grinding and 3 wholes
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons Mustard oil, for cooking
• 1 teaspoon Mustard oil, for mixing in the poppy seeds paste

1. Soak the Poppy seeds in water for half an hour.
   

2. Drain the water with the help of a strainer and transfer it into the jar of a grinder.
   

3. Add 2 green Chillies, 2 tablespoons of water into the jar and grind it till smooth paste.
   

4. Transfer the paste into a bowl.
5. Add 1 teaspoon Mustard oil and 3 whole green Chillies into the bowl.
   

6. Mix the content and keep it aside.
7. Put a Kadai or pan on flame.
8. Add oil into the pan and wait until the oil is hot.
   

9. Put the flame in low and add the mixture (Step 6) into the pan.
   

10. Give a quick mix and cover the pan.
11. Put the flame in medium and cook it for 5 minutes. Stir in between.
    

12. Add Salt and mix it well.
    

13. Put the flame in low and cook it for 8-10 minutes. Cook it until the extra moisture evaporates.
    

    Tip: Mix the poppy seeds paste with a wooden spatula repeatedly and spread in the pan for fast cooking.
    

14. Switch off the flame and put the pan down.