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Bengali · Indian

Aloo posto

Vegetarian

আলু পোস্ত · ālu posto

Potato cubes cooked gently in a creamy paste of ground white poppy seeds, green chilli and mustard oil. A beloved, mild Bengali side dish.

Aloo posto is a Bengali side dish from India, ready in about 1 hour 5 minutes and made with potato and poppy seeds. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Aloo posto: potato cubes coated in poppy seed paste, served with white rice
Photo: TanBanMi / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
10 min
Cook
25 min
Rest
30 min
Total
1 h 5 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
281

Ingredients

4 servings

To finish

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Soak the poppy seeds (opens in a new tab) in warm water for 30 minutes, drain and grind with two of the green chillies and a splash of water to a smooth, thick paste.

    Spices being ground in a mortar and pestle
    How it looks · Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Heat the mustard oil (opens in a new tab), add the cumin (opens in a new tab) and slit chilli, then the potatoes (opens in a new tab) with turmeric (opens in a new tab) (if using) and salt. Fry for 5 minutes until lightly coloured.

  3. Step 3

    Add the water, cover and cook on low until the potatoes (opens in a new tab) are just tender.

    • 12 min
    • medium-low heat

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the poppy paste and sugar (opens in a new tab) and cook, stirring gently, until the paste coats the potatoes (opens in a new tab) and the dish is almost dry. Drizzle with raw mustard oil (opens in a new tab).

    • 5 min
    • low heat

About this dish

Origin
West Bengal, India · Well documentedAlso popular in BangladeshMore food from India
Dish
Lunch · Side dishes
Cooking method
Sautéed, Simmered
Taste
nutty, mild, creamy, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday · One-pan
Cook more with
Potato · Poppy seeds · Green chilli · Mustard oil · Cumin · Sugar
Techniques
Sautéing · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Mustardfrom mustard oil

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

281 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 275 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 8%
  • Carbohydrate 54%
  • Fat 38%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy281 kcal102 kcal
Protein6 g2.2 g
Carbohydrate38.9 g14.1 g
Net carbohydrate32.6 g11.9 g
Sugars2.7 g1 g
Added sugars0.5 g0.2 g
Fibre6.2 g2.3 g
Fat12.3 g4.5 g
Saturated fat1.4 g0.5 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium599 mg218 mg
Salt equivalent1.5 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
942 mg
Calcium
176 mg
Iron
2.8 mg
Magnesium
84 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
3 µg
Vitamin C
50 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
39 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: turmeric.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Grind the poppy seeds with a green chilli and a pinch of salt for the smoothest paste.

Common mistakes

  • Grinding the poppy seeds dry gives a gritty paste — always soak them.

Serve with

  • Serve with hot rice and dal (biulir dal) for a classic Bengali lunch.

Storage

  • Keeps 2 days refrigerated.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently with a splash of water.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Potato, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes4 piece · 800 g
Used in step 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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