Postor Bora - Poppy seeds fritters

Poppy seeds or Khus Khus are a good source of unsaturated fatty acids as well as minerals like calcium, zinc and magnesium which contribute to healthy hair. Bengalis are fond of different dishes made out of poppy seeds. We call it Posto and several preparation are there. This one is a simple fry – widely known as Postor Bora. My husband likes it very much. Without wasting much time here is the recipe:-

Preparation Time: - 30 min

Cooking Time: - 15 min

Servings: - 2 persons

Ingredients:- 

1. 100 gm. Posto aka Poppy seeds
2. 1 small Onion finely chopped
3. 1 Green Chili chopped ( you can use more in number if your taste permits ) and one more slitted vertically for garnishing
4. 1 tbsp. Maida / All purpose flour / Besan ( Gram Flour)
5. Salt to taste
6. 2 tbsp Mustard oil (Since this is a Bengali authentic dish I prefer mustard oil but you can use any Vegetable Oil if you do not like the pungent smell of it)

 Preparation:-

1. Soak the posto or poppy seeds with a pinch of salt for 30 minutes. Now drain the water in a strainer to discard the impurities. Add a little bit of water and some chopped green chilies in a grinder. I did not use any chili here but you can use as per taste. Start grinding and add more water as needed so that the consistency of the paste is not too runny. Make a smooth paste and keep aside.
2. Chop the onion and green chili finely and keep aside.
   
3. Take a bowl to mix the poppy seeds paste with the onion pieces and few drops of mustard oil.
4. Add chopped green chili to it and mix well. I used one green chili as I am not much fond of chili but you can use more if your taste permits.
5. Add Maida or all purpose flour or besan to it. This is needed to bind the poppy seeds paste. I generally use all purpose flour but sometimes I use smashed boiled potato also as a healthy alternative. 
6. If you are sugar tooth like most of the bengalis then you can add a little bit of sugar here to the mixture.
7. Make 5 round and flat cakes (bora) out of the mixture.
8. Take a non-stick deep frying pan / kadai and heat the oil.
9. When the oil starts smoking, gently put the cakes on the pan one by one.
   
10. Turn the burner in medium heat and start frying.
11. Once it becomes brown on one side flip it to fry them equally on both sides.
    
12. Once the boras are done properly put them on tissue paper to drain the extra oil

Your delicious Postor Bora is ready to serve. Eat with hot steam rice.

 As always please feel free to comment, criticize and seek if any help is required. I am all ears.