Posto Bhape / Bhapa Posto / Baked Poppy Seeds

‘Posto’ (Poppy seeds / Khus Khus) is much more than celebrity pets. Genealogically it is the tiny seeds squeezed out of the Opium Poppy & hence it stimulates sleep. It is a crucial ingredient in a Bengali Kitchen. My supply of Posto comes from back home. Mother-In-Law makes sure she stuffs in at least ½ a Kilo of Posto in our knick-knack Bag which comes from home during every visit; no, it isn’t that we do not get Posto here, our parents think the quality is better there.

Aloo Posto (Potato & Poppy Seeds) & Kalai-er Dal (Urad Dal) with some Plain White Rice is the best meal ever, period. However, today’s post is not about that, it is about Posto Bhape or Bhapa Posto or Baked Poppy Seeds. My Mother prepares ‘Kancha-Posto’ (Raw ground Poppy seeds with chopped Onion & Green Chillies with a generous punch of Mustard Oil) every time she grinds some Posto as it has always been very much loved by the Family. It is the same Kancha-Posto I made last night for Dinner, to go with some plain white Rice & Pomfret Curry from the previous night. Maa (My Mother) has been mentioning this Bhapa Posto recipe which was aired sometime back on TV, the thought had lingered in my mind for some time; hence, I decided to give it a go & baked the Kancha-Posto & made Bhapa-Posto out of it. Hubby said he does not even need the Pomfret Curry as he can finish the entire plate only with the Bhapa Posto. A mouthful of this is like a slice of heaven!

Here is a list of the things needed to make Posto Bhape or Bhapa Posto or Baked Poppy Seeds:

Poppy Seeds – 2/3 rd cup

Onion – 1 medium – chopped

Green Chillies – 4 – chopped

Mustard Oil – 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method:

·         Dry roast the Poppy seeds on a hot Tawa & wait till it cools down

·         Dry grind the Poppy seeds in a grinder, add water little by little. It will be a brownish paste when you dry grind & will gradually turn into white. The paste will not be watery. Refer to the picture to see how the paste looks.

·         Add the chopped Onions, Green Chillies, Salt & 3 tbsp of Mustard Oil to it & mix.

·         Pour it into a small Tiffin Box made of Steel.

·         In a Pressure Cooker add water and place the Tiffin Box inside it, make sure the water level is below the rim of the lid of the Tiffin Box. The Box will be floating in water & not drown. Place the lid and heat. Wait till 2 whistles go off & let the pressure go down on its own.

·         The Steel Tiffin Box will be very hot at this time, be careful while taking it out.

·         Serve with Plain White Rice.