Potatoes with poppy seeds (Posto) on Sri Lankan curry leaf chutney

This dish was created as a snack during evening cocktail hour. I wanted to make something that popped with flavour and would complement almost any type of liquor. The very traditional Calcutta-style potatoes with poppy seeds, Posto, is a delicate dish with fresh flavours from the cilantro and green chillies. I do not grind all the poppy seeds, as is more traditional, as I love their crunch. In contrast, the Sri Lankan curry leaf chutney is intense and earthy and has a deep flavor. The sauces and shallots soften the bitterness from the curry leaves. The author originally used this sauce as a baste and sauce for grilled prawns, but I decided to repurpose it here.

Together, this dish is spectacular! The gentle, fresh flavour of the potatoes is brought alive with the deeply flavoured, earthy curry leaf chutney. You would think that they would be contrasting, but they complement each other very well. The wonderful texture of the crunchy poppy seeds makes this dish divine. Yamuna Devi's cookbook (more recipes here) is probably the first cookbook I bought when I moved to the US 30 years ago for my Ph.D. Over the years, I have cooked almost half the recipes. It is the cookbook that taught me techniques and flavour profiles and always gave me wonderful meals. This vegetarian cookbook is essential on any shelf; it is the bible of Indian vegetarian cuisine.

Peter Kuruvita's second cookbook is a more recent addition to my shelf and is a true hidden gem of beautiful flavours from the Southeast Asian islands. The recipes are tropical and fun and take us back to the beaches and sea. This wonderful cookbook from a master chef explores this region's diverse flavours.

For more recipes from this book, click here.

For the Potatoes:

1/3 cup poppy seeds

6 almonds, lightly toasted

2 hot green chillies

1 tablespoon fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon green cardamom powder

4 tablespoons cilantro, leaves and tender stems

3/4 cup yoghurt, full fat preferred

20 baby potatoes, red, white, purple or mixed

2 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon ghee

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon nigella (kalonji) seeds

1 1/2-inch piece cinnamon stick

1 small bay leaf

Salt, to taste

To make the potatoes:

Lightly toast the poppy seeds on a pan and set aside to cool. Separate into two equal portions.

Add half the poppy seeds, almonds, green chillies, ginger, cardamom powder, cilantro, and yoghurt to a small blender and purée them to a smooth paste. You can add a few tablespoons of water to get the purée going. Set aside.

Boil the potatoes until just cooked. Remove and cool in running water as soon as they are cooked through. You want the potatoes to have a good bite and not be too mushy. Cut in halves and set aside.

Heat the oils in a wide wok or deep frying pan, one large enough to comfortably fit all the potatoes. Add the cumin, nigella, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf. Sauté on medium heat for 30-40 seconds until the cumin seeds begin to take on colour. Add the remaining poppy seeds and sauté for 10-15 seconds until the poppy seeds begin to darken.

Add the poppy seed paste and cook. Add the potatoes and bring the mix to a simmer, tossing the mix well to coat the potatoes. Cook until the liquids have evaporated, the sauce clings heavily to the potatoes, and the oils from the sauce are released. As soon as the sauce takes on some colour, turn off the heat and cool.

For the chutney:

3 tablespoons oil

30 curry leaves

6-8 shallots, finely sliced

1 tablespoon ginger paste

3-4 garlic cloves, sliced

3 red chillies, sliced, or 1 teaspoon chilli powder

1 heaped tablespoon black pepper, preferably Tellicherry pepper powder

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon oyster sauce

A few drops of fish sauce

To make the curry leaf chutney:

Heat the oil in a small saucepan on low heat. Add the curry leaves, shallots, ginger, garlic, chillies/chilli powder, and pepper. Sauté, stirring often, until the shallots are soft and translucent, 4-5 minutes; do not brown.

Add the butter and continue sautéing on low heat for another 3 minutes. Add the sugar, soy sauce and oyster sauce and stir to mix. Bubble gently for 2-3 minutes. Cool.

Purée the sauce in a small blender till very smooth. You can add a few tablespoons of water to move the liquids, but you do not want to make the sauce runny.

Pour back into the saucepan, simmer, and cook until the sauce has thickened to the consistency of ketchup and has darkened. The oils should begin to separate from the sauce. Take off the stove, add the fish sauce and stir in. Taste and adjust salt, if needed, but the sauces are very salty. Spice as desired. Set aside.

To serve:

Heat the curry leaf chutney till warm. Heat the potatoes till hot.

Add a dollop of the chutney to the centre of a plate. Using a tablespoon, spread the chutney out, moving the tablespoon in concentric circles outwards to create a circular pattern. You do not have to be perfect; you can fill in the gaps by adding a touch of sauce as needed. Add the heated potatoes cut side down also in concentric circles. Do not overcrowd the plate with the potatoes so much that you do not see the chutney pattern below. Stick a toothpick in each potato so your guests can easily pick them up and scoop the chutney. Serve immediately.