Jhinge Posto – Ridge Gourd in a Creamy Poppy Seed Paste (or zucchini)
Jhinge or ridge gourd cooked with poppy seeds, is another staple dish on the Bengali repertoire. I often substitute ridge gourd with zucchini. They have a similar texture and work well with this creamy simple preparation. Since it is a light vegetable, it features often on summer tables. I often use zucchini in summer and the actual ridge gourd in winter. Either vegetable is perfect for Jhinge Posto.
A little more about Jhinge aka Ridge Gourd aka Tori
The ridge gourd is quite a classic featuring in the regional kitchens across India. North Indians call it Tori and enjoy it in gentle mildly seasoned curries. South Indians cooking it with lentils in curries know as kottu and use the peels in chutney or a relish.
Finally, in eastern India this is sometime cooked in a medley or with shrimp. It is also cooked in a nice and comforting sauce with crushed poppy seeds called posto. My substitute for the ridge gourd is zucchini. The later is more readily available and works well. In fact, I often get the ridge gourd in the winter months. This is the time of the year that we tend to start running out of the backyard supplies. I visit ethnic stores to pick out something that we would not otherwise enjoy!.
What is Jinge Posto (that can be subbed with zucchini)
It is simply sauteed ridge gourd that is cooked in a soft creamy poppy seed paste. Like the alu posto or broccoli posto recipes found here. The recipe takes about 15 to 20 minutes to pull together. It is however important to plan around soaking the poppy seeds to get that perfect creamy texture. My trick is extra-long soaking. I talk a lot about that in my cookbook.
So, here is how you make this Bengali classic, that is comfort food in my house and when enjoyed with a serving of rice and lentils it is guaranteed to bring a smile to my husband’s face.
A classic bengali recipe pairing ridge gourd with poppy seeds, jhinge posto is one of my father's favorite dishes.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup poppy seeds
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 2 medium sized ridge gourds (jinge) or zucchini
- 11/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3/4 teaspoon panchphoron (Bengali 5-spice)
- 1 medium sized red onion, cut into a fine dice
- 2 to 3 slit green chillies
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Soak the poppy seeds in the water for 2 hours and grind to paste. I personally like to do this overnight, as it makes the mixture easier and softer to grind.
- To cut the ridge gourd it is important to cut this along the ridges, leaving bits of green along the smoother side intact. If you are using zucchini, just dice it peel on. Cut into smaller pieces and place on a colander with about 3/4 teaspoon salt and set aside to drain for about 30 minutes.
- Heat the oil and add in the panchphoron and wait until the seeds begin to crackle, add in the red onion and saute for about 4 minutes until the onion softens and begins to turn light golden.
- Squeeze out any excess water from the ridge gourd, and add to the onion mixture and cook on medium high heat adding in the chillies, powdered cumin and the sugar.
- Add in the poppy seed paste and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes and stir well. Serve with rice and lentils.
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