Posto Dim (Eggs in a Poppy Seed Gravy)

Those of you who read my blog regularly must have noticed that despite me being a Bangali from Calcutta, my blog lacks any trace of the amazing Bengali cuisine. Truth be told, I've never really gravitated much towards Bangali food (go ahead, castigate me). But of late I realised a little knowledge of your own cuisine, and a mighty rich one too, can go a long way. After all, you can't just go away making cake after cake and fall back to your mother for the simplest of mushur dal-bhaat and shukto. Not just that, there are so many Bangali delicacies which I love and adore but always have to request Maa to make them. I started cooking when I was 12 with the sole purpose of not having to depend on anybody to have my favourite food. And a decade and a half later I adopt the same motto when I say I'm going to learn my favourite Bong dishes so that Maa doesn't get troubled everytime I want to have Bhetki Maachher Paturi or Chitol Maachher Muithya. So if I don't get bored midway, chances are likely that you're going to see an avalanche of Bong food coming your way in the next month or so. Of course there'll be aberrations (mostly in the form of cakes, I'm guessing) but over and above I'll try and make you acclimatised to Bangali cuisine over the next 30 days as I myself try and learn the nittigritties of the wonderful items my region has to offer.

Exactly 6 months before, I had started Guilt Free with this egg recipe. Half a year down the line, I thought of revisiting another egg recipe. This is a trademark dish my Mother cooks for me. Even though we have similar palates when it comes to Continental stuff and chocolates, our preference of Bangali food is markedly different. She has a very low heat tolerance and likes her food a bit on the sweeter side, whereas I like my food hot and spicy and bursting with flavour. This posto dim, true to her style of cooking, is a bit sweet. But when I make it I add a couple of green chillies to perfectly balance the sweetness. Neither my mom nor I have cooked yolks of eggs, so we scoop out the yolks (and keep them aside for my dad, who adores them) and fill the depression of halved eggs with a rich and creamy posto gravy. I can have this dish any given day. I really mean it. Wherever I am, this dish reminds me of home. And that, trust me, is a very, very comforting feeling.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Eggs, boiled and halved: 6
Tomato, chopped roughly: 2
Poppy seed paste: 4 tbsp
Onion paste: 3 tbsp
Green Chillies, slit: 3-4
Garam Masala powder: 1 tsp
Vegetable oil: 3 tbsp
Salt, to taste
Sugar: 1 tsp
Coriander leaves, chopped: For garnish

Method:

1. In a non-stick pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil and add the onion paste. Saute for 2 minutes till it turns golden in colour.

2. Add the chopped tomatoes and green chillies and continue to cook till the tomatoes lose their shape and become pulpy.

3. Now add the poppy seed paste and stir for 30 seconds. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil, salt and cook on medium heat till the gravy becomes creamy.

4. Now add the sugar and garam masala in a span of 1 minute and cook for another 2 minutes.

5. Layer the halved eggs on a serving plate/bowl and sprinkle a little salt on them . Now ladle the poppy seed gravy on the eggs so that all the egg slices are covered. Sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve with rice or pulao.