Broccoli Posto and White Halloween
This broccoli posto is a simple, humble and uncomplicated dish. It is essentially roasted Broccoli tossed with white poppy seeds. A very Bengali pedestrian dish. The only thing I do differently here is well introduce broccoli to a Bengali flavor profile. I also roast rather than cook the broccoli on the stove top. The result is all kinds of flavorful and crispy. Broccoli loves Indian spices. Another flavorful rendition is this Broccoli with Garam Masala.
A simple dish to use the tender garden broccoli that we harvested. A perfect side to almost anything that you can find.
Garden Winddown Efforts
The gales, wind and snow prompted this major garden wind down effort! Loads of bell peppers, habaneros, cayenne, green and red tomatoes were picked and brought indoors. Essentially translating to an official garden almost close down. Well, there are still some beets and carrots underground. If you want a detailed low down of what we picked please stop by the facebook page.
The soft gentle snow offered a break from the weekend runaround. It assured me cozy comforting weekend indoors. That was until we lost electricity. It then converted to a weekend that that I spend indoors feeling rather cold, shelled shocked and without electricity. I did get in some cooking. Simple stuff like this dish. We prepped for Halloween.
What is the Posto in Broccoli Posto
Using poppy seeds to create a creamy sauce is a common Bengali thing. It is more commonly done in lieu of cream based sauces. You will find more about this in The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles.
Posto is the Bengali word for white poppy seeds. This recipe is a little dry, when compared to other Posto variations. It is still quite good.
How to Enjoy Your Broccoli Posto
This is a great side dish with some dal, it would work well with the Dijon Mustard and Mint Salmon just to offer a few ideas.
A variation of the posto or poppy seed based dishes using garden broccoli.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup poppy seeds (posto)
- 1/3 cup flaked almonds
- 1 inch piece peeled ginger
- 4-6 almonds blanched
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons oil divided.
- 2 cups of Broccoli cut into small pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon Bengali 5-spice (panch phoron)
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 green chilies, cut halfway lengthwise
Instructions
- Soak the poppy seeds and ginger in the warm water for about 3 hours. Place in a blender and grind into a smooth paste with the almonds and salt.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the broccoli on a sheet pan and drizzle with half the oil.
- Place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes until just done.
- Heat the remaining oil on medium heat for about 1 minute and add in the panch phoron and wait till it begins to crackle. This should take less than a minute.
- Add in the onion and sauté lightly for about 2 minutes and cook until the onions soften. Add in the roasted broccoli with the salt.
- Add in the green chilies and the poppy seed paste cook for about 5 minutes until the mixture is fairly dry. Check for seasonings and serve hot.
Notes
Most of the prep time is to soak the poppy seeds, this can be done overnight or the day before.