On a sultry summer afternoon, a newlywed couple sat at the dining table, sipping coffee and reminiscing about their childhood. The man was a traditionalist and hailed from a family deeply rooted in Bengali culinary heritage. His palate was seasoned with the flavours of mustard oil, panch phoron, and the quintessential posto. The woman, on the other hand, brought with her a cosmopolitan flair, having grown up relishing cuisines from across the country. That’s the story of us, back then and even now. The one thing that connects us both deeply is food, and over the years, we have found a middle ground in each other’s food culture. Postor bora, a quintessential Ghoti dish, finally found its space in our kitchen after 17 years.
Having ghoti roots from the post region of Bengal—Bankura and Bardhaman—Anindya is a fanatic when it comes to post. Mind it, I also love posto, and posto bata is my all-time favourite food. I have grown up eating aloo posto, jhinge posto, potol posto, murgi posto, sheem posto, and so on. Having said that, the cooking technique and the outcome also taste starkly different from how my mother-in-law cooked. So now, we have found a way to love each other’s food, and sometimes we mix the techniques.
The Different Ways of Making Postor Bora
Sadly, posto, that is, poppy seed has become very expensive. A 200 gm packet costs about Rs.650. The video on Instagram invited several comments, mostly about the cooking techniques and also about the various ways it can be made. Like our friend Dolphia says- ‘Postor Bora is always a luxurious affair’. Both posto bata and bora require more poppy seed paste than any other posto dish. Rituparna from Bangalore says that her grandmother would always add grated coconut to posto’r bora or add finely chopped prawns. She preferred these combinations. Adding grated coconut and also chopped onions seemed to be the most favoured option.
Making postor bora is very tricky. A little here and there and it turns out dry or difficult to shape. While grinding, it is essential to add water slowly. Also, grinding on the sheel-nora is preferred. Having said that, grinding into a paste directly also means soaking poppy seed in water for at least 30 minutes. If you are like me, who forgets to soak poppy seed in advance, it is better to make a powder of the poppy seed and then add water as much as needed to make it moist and shape into roundells. Always make one bora, check the consistency and then add more water if needed to give it a moist and creamy texture.
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Postor Bora | Poppyseed paste fritter
Ingredients
- 200 gm poppy seed
- 2 green chilies
- 1 large onion
- 2 tsp rice flour
- salt to taste
- sugar to taste
- 2 tbsp grated coconut (optional)
- mustard oil
Instructions
- Take out 2 tbsp of poppy seed and set aside. Grind the balance poppy seed into a powder.
- Transfer the ground poppy seeds to a bowl and then slowly add water, 2 spoons at a time, to make a paste that will bind together.
- Add chopped green chillies, finely chopped onions, salt and sugar to taste, to the poppy seed mix and 1-2 tsp of rice flour if you feel it will not bind properly.
- Now give it a mix and if you feel, add more water. It really is a matter of judgement.mix,
- I would say, make one bora, fry it to see if it works and then add more water if needed. Add as much water is needed to make a moist bora after frying.
- Compact the mixture using your palms and shape it into small discs. Coat the discs with dry poppy seeds.
- Heat 3-4 tbsp of mustard oil in a pan. Fry the poppy seed discs in the oil until the outside becomes golden and crisp.
- Serve posto'r bora with rice and dal.
Pikturenama is a blog about our travel and food escapades along with stories to share through photography. 
