NI version Aloo Posto.......Potato-poppy seeds curry

Any Bengali worth her/his salt will vouch for aloo-posto as being THE dish. Well, here I present my version of the same (hence the NI.....North Indian!!)
Come to think of it, Poppy-Potato or Potato-Poppy sounds like such a cute name for a dish! However, the richness lies not only in the name, but also in the superb taste.....
Here we go:

 Aloo Posto aka Potato- poppy seeds curry

Ingredients:
Potatoes- 4 large ( cubed)
Poppy seeds- 7 tablespoons roasted poppy seeds

Cooking oil (preferably mustard) - 1 tablespoon
Green chillies- 2

Chopped green coriander- 1 tablespoon

Cumin seeds- ½ teaspoon

Panch Phoran- 2 teaspoon*

Salt- to taste

Water- 125 ml

*(Panch Phoran:

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds/methi seeds
1/2 teaspoon nigella seeds/kalonji

Mix this evenly in a dry vessel, and use 2 teaspoon of it for this recipe. The rest can be stored in an airtight container.)

Method:

Soak the roasted poppy seeds, in a cup of warm water for about 45-60 minutes. Thereafter, sieve the water out and make a paste of the soaked seeds, in a blender or mixer.

As mentioned earlier, cube the potatoes into half-inch cubes.

Slit the green chillies in the middle and keep aside.

Heat the oil, in a wok or heavy - based kadhai. Now, add the cumin seeds and panch-phoran seeds; when they start spluttering, add the slit green chillies and fry all this for about a minute on medium flame.

Add the cubed potatoes to this and toss-fry for 2-3 minutes. After this, add the poppy seed paste and 125 ml water to the potatoes etc. Mix well, sprinkle the salt, and allow it to cook. When it starts simmering, reduce the flame to low and cover completely with a lid. Stir occasionally, and cook till potatoes become tender. In-between, if necessary, sprinkle some water on the potatoes, so that the poppy and potatoes do not get burnt or stick to the wok.

As soon as you notice, that the potatoes have become tender, switch off the flame/ heat and garnish with chopped green coriander.

Serve hot with steamed rice!!