JANHI ALOO POSTO [RIDGE GOURD WITH POPPY SEED PASTE]

One of the very popular Oriya recipes is Janhi Aloo Posta. Janhi (Ridge gourd) is a summer vegetable, with lot of minerals and with absolutely no fat content. It's a delicacy and very easy to cook. Most of the poppy seed based curries are eaten with rice in Orissa and west Bengal as rice is the staple diet here.

Ingredients :-

Janhi (Ridge gourd) - 3 nos. (scraped and cut into large chucks)

Potato - 1 no. (cut into thin slices)

Onion - 1 no. chopped

Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp

Tomato - 1no. chopped

Panch phutan - 1 tsp

Dry red chilli - 1no.

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Poppy seed paste - 2 tsp

Green Chillies - 3-4 nos.

Salt as per taste

Mustard oil - 2 tsp

Method :-

Heat oil in a pan. Fry chopped potato and Janhi (ridge gourd) pieces for 4-5 mins.Remove from pan and keep aside. Grind the poppy seed along with green chillies and make a very fine paste. Add the remaining oil to the pan. Add panch phutan and dry red chilli to the oil. When it crackles add diced onion and saute a while. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry. Then add chopped tomatoes, sprinkle little salt, turmeric powder and fry until oil leaves the pan. Now add poppy seed paste to it and fry for 3-5 mins. Then add fried potato and Janhi(ridge gourd), add salt and stir well. add 1/2 cup of water to it and cover the pan. Let the veggies simmer with the paste till it is semi dry which takes nearly 5-7 mins. remove from pan and serve hot with rice and enjoy ::))

[NOTE:-Soak poppy seed in hot water for half an hour for a fine paste.]