Biulir (urad) dal, Posto and Tandoori cauliflower – a bengali comfort food.
I have been ranting a lot lately about my life. My editor (and husband) scolded me about it and said to quit complaining and write about food, which is why I am keeping this post about food only. I will probably rant again, but not today.
I have been skipping rice at every meal for about two months. I am sure you all remember how much I was crying about my weight gain. I stopped eating rice and started exercising five days a week. My weight and I are back to normal. No, I did not start eating chocolate again. I am still eating dark chocolate and keeping things under control.
This weekend I decided to break routine and try my childhood favorite biulir dal and aloo posto. If you’re not a Bengali you probably won’t understand our fetish for it. Biulir dal is nothing more than urad dal. I carried a few packets back from India, but you can easily find it in an Indian store. See picture below if you’re not sure what Bengal gram looks like.
Before you ask me if you can replace poppy seeds with something else the answer is NO. Aloo posto cannot be prepared without posto (a.k.a. white poppy seeds).
During the summer months ma used to make light, thin urad dal soup with a lot of ginger and fennel seeds. This dal is incomplete without the posto. The consistency of this dal is light and best served with rice and light fries. I used to pour some dal on my plate, mix the rice with poppy seeds and slurp. After the rice was gone I would drink the dal from the bowl. Ma soaks the dal a day in advance and prepares it in a pressure cooker. Then she uses a tool to mash the dal. If you’re too scared to use a pressure cooker you can cook it in a regular pot but you have to use a mixer/grinder to get the fine consistency. I prefer to use a food processor, otherwise I would never get the consistency similar to the way ma did.
Now let’s talk about aloo posto or “potato curry with poppy seed paste.” There are a few things that define Bengali cuisine and aloo posto is one of them. Most of the time I prepare it with Yukon gold baby potatoes (with skin). If I am not using baby potatoes I usually peel the skin off. First I boil them with salt and water. As soon as it becomes fork tender I add the poppy seed paste. Ma always suggests I add chunks of potato to the curry for the thicker texture I love so much. The toppings of this curry can be done in several ways. I prefer to add cumin seeds and whole red chile tempering at my posto, but you can add panchphoron if you like. I am just not a big panchphoron lover 😉
Adding turmeric is optional depending on your personal preference. Some of my aunts add turmeric to it while ma prefers it white, but she never forgets to drizzle mustard oil before serving. If you are like many of the readers of The Boston Globe’s seasonal recipes you have discovered that most supermarkets no longer carry mustard oil. Every Indian grocery that I’ve visited in Boston has carried mustard oil but you can substitute it with vegetable oil if necessary.
To be frank, Biulir dal and aloo posto are enough to satisfy my appetite. When I was growing up I would have eaten that every day if ma had let me, but she always tried to incorporate healthy vegetables into my diet. That’s why she used to pan fry greens with the dal and aloo posto. In this tradition I made Tandoori cauliflower with my veg platter this week.
The first time I made Tandoori cauliflower was for a holiday party with Saranya in December 2013. I’ve prepared it several times since whether there was a party or not! I did a post on it but the pictures were so bad that I deleted the post and redid the pictures for this post.
It was a light and delicious weekend dinner for the two of us.
Recipe for Biulir (urad) dal, Posto and Tandoori cauliflower
The tandoori cauliflower recipe has been adapted from Veg Recipes of India. Urad dal can be prepared in a regular pot. I tried it with both a regular pot and pressure cooker. It takes between 1.5 to 2 hours in a regular pot and 30 minutes in a pressure cooker.
- 1 1/2 cup urad dal, washed and soaked for 3 hours
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoon fennel seed
- 1 piece (1 1/2 inches) fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 dried red chile,whole
- 1 bay leaf
- salt to taste
- 1 cup water
1. I strongly recommend soaking the dal for 3 hours at least. I have tried without soaking and it’s not going to have a smooth texture if you do not soak.
2. In a pressure cooker over medium-high heat, add washed, drained lentil and water. Pressure cook it over high heat until you hear one whistle. Lower the temperature to the lowest setting and cook it for 28 to 30 minutes more. After 30 minutes, set it aside and release the pressure. Open the pressure cooker, add turmeric and stir it to mix well. Close lid and put it back on low flame for 10 minutes. Set it aside but do not open the lid until the rest is prepared.
3. In a spice or coffee grinder, add 1 teaspoon fennel seeds. Work it until smooth. Set it aside in a small bowl. In a food processor, add ginger pieces. Work it until smooth. Set it aside.
4. Working in batches, in the same food processor without washing, add lentil. Blend it until smooth and set it aside in a large bowl.
5. In a non-stick soup pot, over medium-high heat, heat vegetable oil. Add red chile, bayleaf and 1 teaspoon fennel seeds. Cook it for 1 to 2 minutes, or until they start spluttering. Add pureed dal, salt, ground fennel powder, ginger paste, 1 cup water {If your dal already has enough water, you do not need to add extra water. If your dal becomes thick, add water} . Cook it for 4 to 5 minutes. Set it aside.
Posto(Potato curry with poppy seeds)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/4 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1 dried red chile, whole
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 medium (500gram) potato, peeled and cubed
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1/4 +1 tablespoon cup water
- 1/2 green chile, seeded and chopped (for garnish)
- 1 teaspoon mustard oil (for garnish)
1. In a non-stick pan, over medium heat, heat oil. Add whole cumin, dried red chile and bay leaf. Cook it for 1 to 2 minutes, or until they start spluttering. Add onion slices and sauté them for 4 to 5 minutes, or until they become translucent.
2. Add cubes of potato (cut them as shown in the picture above) and salt. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they become fork tender.
3. Meanwhile, in a spice grinder, add poppy seeds. Grind them for 1 to 2 minutes or until they soften. Set it aside. In a food processor, add ground poppy seeds, water and 1 green chile. Work it until smooth.
4. Add poppy seed paste to the potatoes, 1/4 cup water and 1 green chile. Check the salt. If required add more. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring to mix everything properly. Set it aside. Drizzle mustard oil and serve hot.
Tandoori Cauliflower
- 1 piece (1/2 inch) fresh ginger
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon tandoori masala
- 2 teaspoon chat masala
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon red chile powder
- 1 teaspoon crushed (between hands) dried fenugreek leaves(kasoori methi)
- 1 tablespoon chickpea flour
- salt to taste
- 1 medium cauliflower head, cut in florets
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro(for garnish)
1. Set the oven at 400 degrees. Have on hand a 12-inch baking dish.
2. In a food processor, add ginger and garlic. Work it until it becomes smooth and set it aside in a large mixing bowl. {You can replace with a 1 tablespoon store-bought ginger-garlic paste, but I cannot vouch for the taste}. Add yogurt, garam masala, tandoori masala, chat masala, turmeric, chile powder, crushed fenugreek leaves, chickpea flour, and salt. Stir to mix well.
3. Dunk the cauliflower pieces in the marinade and line on a baking pan. Drizzle it with vegetable oil and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until they become golden brown.
4. Sprinkle lemon juice and chopped cilantro on top.
Mouthwatering!! Love tandoori cauliflower.
Thank you
That’s a humble feast !!
Thanks Dear
Add cumin seeds, whole garam masala and bay leaf and saute them till get a nice aroma. Put the cauliflower into it and fry for a 2-3 minutes.
I can’t get enough of cauliflower, potatoes and love them in any form. 😀 I’m loving the flavors of this tandoori cauliflower Dol… looks very appetizing
In love with the pictures… <3
Lovely pics, are they shot by a professional? Food must be delicious of course Photos are!
they are shot by me