Posto Shorshe Begun – Baby Bengali Eggplants (with an attempt on Sexy)
This recipe for Posto Shorshe Begun is marriage of two much loved combinations. It adds just a little more glamor than home style, dare I use the word sexy? Thank goodness, mom does not read this blog, or she would tell me, “erokom odbhut language use korar kono mae hoi na”. Essentially translated to, It makes no sense to use such weird descriptions.
The Story of My Posto Shorshe Begun
To explain, the first is a core Bengali seasoning base, a combination of zesty mustard and creamy poppy seeds. I have referred to these flavros as the Yin and Yang of Bengali cooking. In my cookbook the The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles .
These flavors are married with a touch of tempered Green Yogurt. Both these combinations work well with eggplants. Together we also enjoyed them, really enjoyed them.
So, that takes care of the seasoning, I have paired it with one of my favorite vegetables – the eggplant or begun in Bengali. The sexy factor is added in by my use of tender baby eggplants. These to my best knowledge are not very common on the Bengali table, but I did have peer pressure from some North Indian recipes. But, jokes aside, we love our eggplant on the Bengali table, and I wanted something that could look party like without playing a lot with flavors and this just might be it.
Among other things, this was another spring break spent at home. We celebrated the daughter’s birthday, they did a Japanese themed part and she invited a whole bunch of other friends over to stay and then do dinner. Some of these young people I have known as kindergarteners and so it really is a lot of fun to see them reach there almost teen years! Yikes, the baby is almost a teenager! OK! I will really do the freak attack next year, for now let us focus on the Baby Bengali Eggplants in a Creamy Zesty Sauce.
Individually to enjoy the poppy seeds consider these Potatoes with Poppy Seeds and for the mustard check out this mustard based salmon.
A take on a classic Bengali recipe, these eggplants are a great dish for any eggplant lover.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon panchphoron (Bengali Five Spice Blend)
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 15 baby eggplants, halved
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 3 tablespoons poppy mustard paste (see note)
- 1 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
- 4 tablespoons Greek Yogurt
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- Cilantro to Garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil and add in the the Bengali Five Spice blend and wait until the spices crackle.
- Add in the grated ginger and the minced garlic and stir well. Add in the eggplants and the salt and turmeric and mix well.
- Turn the temperature to low and cook the eggplants for about 25 minutes, until fairly soft. Stir in the poppy and mustard seed paste. red cayenne pepper and gently mix in the yogurt. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle with the roasted cumin powder and garnish with cilantro and serve with steamed white rice.
Notes
Most of the cooking time is unattended. To prepare the poppy and mustard seed paste, soak 3 tablespoons poppy seeds and 1 tablespoon mustard seeds for 3 hours and grind to a paste. To prepare the roasted cumin powder lightly roast the cumin seeds until fragrant and grind to a powder.